Kido Senshi Gundam SEED: The Keshitai
by Prayer Reverie
Summary: COMPLETE! More or less. In the aftermath, there are always things that need to be sorted out, emotions first and foremost. [Wrap-Up wrapped up]
1. Prologue

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai

A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie

Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y ... uh ...**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (anyone seen Phase 01: Angry Eyes yet? It's awesome, with good background music!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

**Prologue**

C.E. 71

Kira Yamato saw his world revolve slowly. He smiled lightly at the sight of the ring floating in his helmet.

_Lacus ... I'm sorry._

He closed his eyes and would have leaned back, if he wasn't floating in space. His radio crackled with interference as the ring floated near the transceiver. Kira thought he heard Cagalli's voice faintly.

The pilot of Freedom opened his eyes when he heard Athrun's voice as well. Then a green object shot past him.

"_Torii!_" it said.

_Torii? Then that could have been Athrun and Cagalli._

Sure enough the damaged Strike Rouge came into view, with Athrun just pushing off the cockpit to reach his friend.

"We did it Kira, the war is over." Athrun announced tiredly. Kira's smile got a little brighter at the mention of that.

Finally Cagalli got close enough and gently cupped both pilots in the hands of her mobile suit.

"Let's go home." Cagalli said, turning around and heading for the trio of ships.

_Home ... to Lacus._

A/N: Yes I know, it's short, so short that I don't think short describes it accurately enough. But it's only meant to close the Valentine War. Chapter 1 starts pretty much exactly after "At the Star's Valley" ended.


	2. Chapter 1: At The Star's Valley, Part 2

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai

A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie

Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y ... uh ...**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (anyone seen Phase 01: Angry Eyes yet? It's awesome, with good background music!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

**Chapter 1: At the Star's Valley, Part 2**

C.E. 71

Still guiding Kira by one shoulder, Athrun caught sight of the small cottage where Lacus, Cagalli, Malchio and the orphans were. The mere thought of Cagalli brought a smile to Athrun's lips. Kira still had a small frown on and was mainly watching the sand as they walked.

Athrun mulled over his friend's condition for a minute. Kira had been happy to be alive with Lacus after they got back to the _Eternal_. From there the beginning of the peace treaty was announced and a memorial service to commemorate those lost.

Over 200,000 had perished when Junius 7 was attacked, and hundreds of thousands more since, with the Battle of Endymion, the Battle of Victoria, Operation Uroboros, Operation Spit Break, the Battle of Carpentaria, the Battle of Orb and finally the Battle of Jachin Due.

After the service, there was nothing Lacus or Cagalli or Athrun or anyone could do to cheer Kira up for more than a few minutes. He had settled into an almost permanent depression, and although it was minor now, it threatened to expand into a full-blown suicidal depression.

The Justice pilot was going to track down the rest of Kira's friends, the ones from Heliopolis, in the hopes that perhaps they had an answer, or at least some suggestions. In the meantime, Athrun hoped that Lacus and Malchio could cheer Kira up, even for a little bit.

-

Next Morning

Milly was on the floor, hugging her knees and staring at the picture of herself and Tolle, taken barely days before the collapse of Heliopolis. Tears welled up and she lowered her head a few inches.

The ringing of the phone startled her a bit, but she didn't move to answer it right away. Four rings, five rings, six rings, finally she sighed, shook away the tears and picked up the phone.

"Hello." She said quietly.

"Milly, hi. I was wondering if you could help me with Kira's depression?" the voice asked.

"Kira?" things weren't exactly clear to her.

"Yeah, Kira. No matter what we do he always seems depressed." the voice, obviously male, explained.

"Who is this?" Miriallia couldn't match the voice to anyone.

"It's ..." he hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "Athrun."

A small gasp escaped her lips as her eyes widened. The phone dropped out of her loosened grip and fell to floor with a clunk. She heard Athrun asking if everything was all right.

"Tolle." She whispered.

Milly heard Athrun disconnect, so she hit her own disconnect button. Turning slightly to put the phone back on the charger, she glanced up at another picture; this one was a group shot of herself, Tolle, Kira, Sai and Kuzzey, again taken before the collapse of the colony. Everyone was smiling brightly, even her.

She sighed as she remembered something Mu La Flaga had said as the _Archangel_ was about to board the remains of Junius 7 for supplies.

"_Right now we're alive! To stay alive, sometimes you've got to do things which aren't always pretty!_"

Milly got up and started to pack.

-

"How's Milly?" Lacus asked Athrun.

He turned around to face her.

"I'm not quite sure; she stopped talking after I told her who it was. I don't expect her to come."

"I see, well who's next on your list?" Lacus asked, changing the subject away from Tolle's death.

"Sai Argyle, the oldest of the group and former fiancée of Flay Alster."

Lacus' eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Flay. While Lacus had forgiven the young girl for her actions aboard the _Archangel_ when George Alster died, she believed that Flay still meant a lot to Kira, even though the younger girl was dead.

"Auntie Lacus, Auntie Cagalli wants you." A small boy said, pulling Lacus away from her thoughts and Athrun, who was already dialing Sai's number.

"Hello, Sai Argyle? This is Athrun Zala, Kira's friend. Yes, we met on the _Archangel_. I was wondering if you could help me with one of Kira's problems. No, it's nothing serious yet, but ... what's that? Excellent, I'll get a flight ready for you. How soon can you leave?"

-

In Space

Four GAT-01A Strike Daggers, painted completely black, drifted in space. The pilots were resting peacefully, waiting. No more than 100 meters away from one another, they had all non-essential systems shut down and everything else turned down to reduce electronic emissions.

A small pinging sound alerted the leader of their target's arrival. Sitting up, he zoomed in for a closer look.

"Wake up, its here." he said. Three green lights came on, confirming his squad was awake and operational.

A medium passenger transport came into view. It was a neutral shuttle, having a mixed crew of both Coordinators and Naturals. The passengers were the targets.

"_Are you sure about this? Killing Naturals as well?_" one pilot voiced his concern.

"I don't agree with killing the Naturals, but there are more Coordinators on that ship than Naturals. I'm sure they'd understand what we're doing." The leader replied, sating the other's concerns.

"_Target confirmed and is in range. Let's go!_" another confirmed.

The four Daggers ignited their thrusters simultaneously, jetting forward and drawing their machine hyper rifles.

"You know your parts. _Keshitai ikuzo_!"

They fired at the transport as they flew past it. Explosions flared where the bullets penetrated the thin armor. Another ping alerted the man to incoming GINNs and a few GuAIZ.

The daggers replaced their rifles with beam sabers and engaged the incoming ZAFT forces.

-

That Evening

The attack was all over the news that night. The reporter detailed the part about the bullet-holes in the shuttle being of the same caliber of the rifles used by the GINN mobile suits. Found near the dead shuttle were several destroyed GINNs, cut apart by Alliance beam sabers.

She went on to say how a small patrol team had apparently chanced upon the conflict and rushed to the shuttle's aid. A series of small clips was playing in the background, a Dagger slicing a GINN in two, a GINN firing at Dagger and hitting the shuttle instead, the remaining GINNs and GuAIZ retreating.

Athrun watched in interest while Malchio listened.

"Hmm... sounds to me like the same group of terrorists that struck last week, attacking a lone supply transport." Malchio remarked.

"And they were saved by several mobile armors, were they not?" Athrun asked.

"That they were. However what intrigues me is that the shuttle reportedly had several well known Coordinators onboard, and the transport the week before was carrying supplies from one PLANT to another." Malchio confirmed.

"Unless they were set up somehow, that may explain the response time of the armors and Daggers."

Malchio was about to reply when he heard a low-pitch whine from the distance.

"Sounds like one of Kira's friends are arriving." He said.

Athrun jumped up and scrambled outside to see a four-seater VTOL craft set down. The cockpit opened and two people got out and unloaded their luggage. The pilot stayed at the helm and took off when he got the thumbs up from the taller passenger. Both of them removed their helmets, and with his Coordinator enhanced sight, Athrun saw Sai, which he expected, and Miriallia, which he wasn't.

They walked towards the house, so Athrun decided to meet them halfway.

"Mister Argyle, Miss Haww, I thank you for coming here on such short notice. I must confess Miss Haww; I did not expect your arrival." Athrun greeted them.

"I remembered something someone said during the war." was her answer.

Sai shook Athrun's hand, and the Justice pilot offered to take their luggage, but both declined. They walked in a comfortable silence to the house, with Athrun holding the door open for them.

"Sai! Miriallia!" Lacus greeted them inside, hugging Milly and kissing Sai lightly on the cheek.

Cagalli got up from her chair beside Malchio, and he followed suit quickly. Everyone was introduced and in most cases, re-introduced. Finally Sai spoke up.

"Where's Kira?"

-

PLANT, Early Morning.

Yzak re-read the letter that Gilbert Durandal, newest Chairman of the PLANTS, had sent him. It really didn't interest him, but part of Yzak's job as a senior PLANT council member was to review everything that came to his attention. His attention was interrupted when the double doors slid open, revealing Dearka and Shiho.

"Yzak, you've got to take a look at this!" Dearka said with a note of apprehension in his voice.

"Not now Dearka, I'm trying to finish the letter Durandal sent me." Yzak said, not even bothering to look up at the two.

"There's been another attack Commander Jule." Shiho said.

Yzak sighed and looked up at his two subordinates.

"First of all, Shiho, we are not in ZAFT anymore, there is no ZAFT anymore, and I am not a commander. Second, I'm trying to finish this damned letter Durandal sent me, and you people aren't helping any."

"Damnit Yzak, a shuttle was attacked last night by the same group as last week! Our forces lost two GINNs in the engagement, along with the shuttle containing six of the council members on their way to Earth!" Dearka said, his anger rising.

That got Yzak's attention. He set the pad down onto the desk gently, stood up calmly, and then quickly snatched the letter up and threw it across the room with all of his considerable might. Dearka assumed Yzak was willing to see the clip, so he hit the 'play' button.

The images of the attack popped in the middle of the air, and Yzak watched it all play out before it finally ended. Dearka and Shiho waited patiently for Yzak to respond, or do anything at all.

"Dearka, get your Buster ready, Shiho, get your GuAIZ ready. We'll meet at Way Point 1, I'll be in Duel." Yzak finally ordered.

"Um ... Yzak, Buster is on the _Archangel_, and it's not even fixed yet." Dearka said slowly.

"And Duel's in lockdown stasis, incase someone tried to steal it." Shiho added.

That didn't help Yzak at all. Here he was, already loaded down with work and trying to clear his mother's name, with his best friend and fellow veteran and one of his best subordinates ever, and they were telling him that none of them could mobilize to deal with these new threats!

Yzak quickly thought up of a new plan. Dearka wondered what his friend was planning now.

"Fine then and actually this may work out even better. Dearka, you still have access to Armory One right?" Yzak asked.

"Yeah I'm still cleared for access ... why?" Dearka responded slowly.

"Shiho, with the power vested in me by the PLANT council I hereby grant you access to Armory One. Dearka! Get us a car!"

-

Malchio's Orphanage, Two Days Later

The arrival of two of his friends had cheered Kira up considerably, enough that he wasn't depressed all of time. All of the orphans were pleased to have more visitors as well, and for a time, the war and all of the sorrow and hatred seemed to disappear.

Milly had arranged to stay for a longer time, to help the orphans and Kira. Sai was due back in another week; his company had a critical deadline to meet. Kuzzey was unaccounted for, Athrun had tried to track him down, but there was nothing on him, not even a death certificate.

That news got the friends wondering if he had died when Orb was under siege from the Earth Alliance. The group chatted on several topics, until it finally came to some of their allies during the war.

"So where are the other pilots? The blond and silver-haired ones?" Sai asked.

"Dearka Elsman and Yzak Jule." Athrun supplied. Then he continued.

"Yzak's been promoted to a senior PLANT council member, Dearka and another from his unit are helping him as aides. Paperwork has never really gotten along with Yzak, he prefers to talk with his fists rather than a letter."

"But Dearka is ok?" Milly asked timidly.

"Yes, he was cleared of all charges thanks to Yzak, and now he's working mainly to get armed forces organized."

"Armed forces? For what?" inquired Cagalli.

"ZAFT has been formally disbanded, the council has put all blame on the military, so now we technically don't have one anymore. Dearka's doing it to take some pressure off Yzak."

Some of the apprehension that had been in Miriallia's face drained away. No matter what she told herself, she did care about the Buster pilot. Lacus interrupted the conversation.

"Lunch time!" she called.

The orphans scrambled around the sitting teenagers, some of them even crawling over the sitting group to get to the table. Chuckling lightly, they rose from the floor and walked over to eat lunch, which consisted of various sandwiches and fruit chunks in yogurt.

The conversation was light and up-lifted, with the starting of Orb's reconstruction, the Treaty being hammered out, and the disarmament of most of the EA and the former ZAFT. Finally everyone finished their lunches, and Lacus stood up to start clearing the dishes. Cagalli moved to help her, but Kira whispered something in her ear that got the blond twin smiling.

Kira quickly piled the plates up into one big stack and took them over to the sink as Lacus was putting the rest of the fruit into the fridge. Before she closed the door he had the cutlery, cups, and glasses beside the stack of plates as well.

Lacus closed the fridge door and turned around, only to be surprised as Kira kissed her. Nothing in her life could have prepared her for this, a sudden and passionate kiss from the one she deeply loved. Her shock passed quickly and she reciprocated, kissing him back just as deeply.

After what seemed like an eternity they finally broke the kiss and stared into each other's eyes. They shared a brief moment of silence before Lacus spoke up.

"That was ... unexpected."

Kira smiled at her comment, and then leaned in to kiss her again.

"Lacus ... I" he started.

A sudden crash interrupted the pair. A man dressed in all black and wearing a black balaclava un-holstered a machine-gun and cocked it. The Freedom pilot grabbed the former songstress and dived on the other side of the counter as the assailant opened fire.

The attacking man emptied his first clip without hitting his intended targets. He ejected the empty cartridge was in the middle of sliding the next one in when Kira jumped over the bullet-riddled counter and sent the man flying with a powerful kick. The clip went flying off towards the door as the machine gun went towards the tables.

The brown-haired Coordinator walked over to the unconscious and prone man to inspect him. There was an insignia on his left shoulder, a black 'K' set in a blue Earth with the words "For the Preservation of our Pure and Blue World" surrounding the world.

"Blue Cosmos." Kira muttered.

Lacus came out from behind the counter at the sound of Kira's voice. She timidly made her way towards Kira, stepping around the empty bullet casings. Kira tore the insignia off and handed it to Lacus. She looked at it with fear, and then handed it back to Kira.

More machine gun fire from outside grabbed their attention. Kira could see several more Blue Cosmos members firing at the orphans, Malchio, and the rest of his friends. Kira narrowed his eyes as the familiar feeling of a seed exploding in his mind occurred.

"Stay here please." He said to Lacus before rushing out the door to help his friends.

There were four soldiers with their backs to Kira, all of them in identical garb to the one in the kitchen, watching over Cagalli, Sai, Miriallia, Malchio and the orphans. Two more were rushing off after Athrun, who was leading them into the jungle.

Making a running leap, Kira launched off the short flight of stairs. The first terrorist was taken down by a back roundhouse kick to the neck. Kira landed as the first man went flying. Not sparing a second glance, Kira lunged for the next soldier, kneeing him hard in the gut and added an uppercut to the jaw.

The third man aimed his machine gun at Kira, but the teenager was already too close in. Kira twisted past the gun, grabbing it with one hand and finishing the rotation by elbowing the owner in the face. As the third man fell, Kira whipped around and swung the rifle with all of his strength, hitting the last man squarely in the side of the temple.

His friends looked relieved until they heard more gunshots from deep inside the jungle.

"Athrun!" Cagalli screamed.

Kira rushed past her into the jungle, following the sounds. Cagalli ran after him, disappearing among the trees. Lacus appeared at the door of the house to see what was going on, just in time to see Kira and Cagalli rush into the jungle.

Athrun was trapped in an angled pincer formation. The two Blue Cosmos members were still at enough range to take Athrun down before he got to them, and there was enough room between the two soldiers to prevent the Coordinator from taking them down simultaneously.

"Don't move scum." The first one sneered.

"For a Blue and Pure World." The second said.

They raised their rifles and aimed carefully at Athrun. Kira and Cagalli collided with the two terrorists just as they squeezed the trigger. Two bullets flew from the muzzles, impacting on the tree behind Athrun. The twins wasted no time in subduing the assailants.

"Athrun, are you all right?" Cagalli asked concernedly, walking towards the blue-haired Coordinator.

"Yes, thanks to you and Kira." He replied, enfolding her in a hug.

There was a feminine scream in the direction of the house, which got Kira running back to see what happened. Athrun and Cagalli followed suit, but something had Kira's blood running, he was moving faster than they thought he could. Only one thing echoed in his mind: _Lacus_.

He cleared the edge of the jungle in record time, only to see a medium sized VTOL helicopter leaving. Then he saw Sai sprawled out on the sand, with Miriallia tending to a minor looking should wound.

Kira ran inside the house as Cagalli and Athrun emerged from the jungle. They could all hear Kira's frantic actions, searching the place and calling out to Lacus. Then he was at the doorway, tears welling up in his eyes, his fists clenched tightly.

"Where's Lacus?"

* * *

A/N: First chapter done! Criticize everything (constructively though, no flames). This story I promise will be longer than and not as rushed as my first one. Please Read and Review! P.S. Sorry for the not-so-hanging Cliffhanger.


	3. Chapter 2: Their Legacy Continues

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai

A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie

Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y ... uh ...**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (anyone seen Phase 01: Angry Eyes yet? It's awesome, with good background music!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned

* * *

**_Angel of Dreams:_** Well good to know someone thought it was a cliffhanger.

**_King Arthur6687:_** My spellcheck doesn't show any errors (other than fragmented sentences), unless you mean the names. Feel free to e-mail me any and all words you feel are spelt incorrectly, and I'll try my best to proof-read everything again.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Their Legacy Continues**

C.E. 71

Lacus woke up to the almost silent thrumming of the engines. The ship was of Earth Alliance design, the OMNI logo in front of her cell told her as much. There was a single guard off the to the right hand side of the door, his Blue Cosmos shoulder insignia identical to the one Kira showed her at Malchio's.

Loud booted footsteps were heard coming down the hallway, and the guard in front of Lacus stiffened up and saluted. Someone spoke the words "at ease" and the guard went back to his relaxed pose. Finally the man stepped into her view.

He was at least 6 feet tall, with cropped dark brown hair, brown eyes and an athletic build. His uniform was the standard OMNI Enforcer officer's uniform, white pants and a white coat with patches of grey and a rank insignia, labeling the man as a Commander.

"Welcome to the _Vanguard_ Miss Clyne, I am Commander Hiroto Syuu, the commander of the small mobile suit complement onboard." He introduced himself.

"Why am I here Commander?" Lacus asked.

"That will be revealed at a later date Miss Clyne. For now, you are here because you are here. If you will accompany me to the briefing room we will begin."

Lacus didn't really have a say in the matter. The door was unlocked and opened and two armed guards stepped in, guns pointed at her incase she tried anything suspicious. Sighing, she stood up and followed Commander Syuu. Two guards took up station ahead of the Commander, while the first two guards followed behind, weapons still aimed at the pink-haired Coordinator.

It was a short walk to the room Syuu called the Briefing Room, which turned out to be more of an interrogation chamber. She was asked to sit in a chair, and still seeing no real choice, complied. One of the guards strapped her feet and arms to the chair with zip-ties.

The Blue Cosmos members left the room and close the door, leaving Lacus confused and alone. Screens slid out from the ceiling on all sides, and started showing images of the Valentine War. Speakers imbedded in the walls, ceiling and floor allowed her to hear the sounds that accompanied the 'film'.

"_In the beginning, there was man, and for a time, all was good. Then man created machine, thus did man become the architect of his demise. For hundreds of millennia, man was united. With the advent of space travel, man became closer to his fellows than ever before. Nevertheless, a single man would change it all._

_There are always those who oppose the immoral. The Blue Cosmos group was founded as an environmentalist group, seeking the Preservation of the Blue and Pure World. As George Glenn released his controversial findings, man split apart._

_Mother Earth intended us are we are, Pure and Clean. Those who agreed with the 'Coordinator' wished for nothing but anarchy. Thus did an Alliance form to oppose the anarchists. In every recorded war there have been religious groups to help those righteous warriors. The Blue Cosmos were considered by many to be that group, a group that aided in monumental decisions during the war, and provided the Earth Alliance with holy warriors._

_This special corps, called the 'Keshitai' for their fanaticism, turned the tide in many battles, and helped to develop ground-breaking technology, such as the Cyclops system used on the Grimaldi Front's Endymion Crater Battle, and the Battle of JOSH-A, or the Battle of Alaska as some call it._"

The images on the film accompanied the words. The members of the Blue Cosmos were shown in a holy light, much as the Knights of the medieval times were. The Coordinators were portrayed as vicious and brutal murderers, who killed for the pure joy. When the Endymion Crater was shown, an entire corps of Moebius Zero's was on-screen, valiantly defending retreating civilian transports and stalling the ZAFT forces to allow time for the destructive Cyclops system to be detonated.

"_The word Keshitai was rumored to originate from the first major war of the 20th Century on Earth. Used by the Japanese, it literally meant 'Suicide Corps', and it was fitting as their orders usually ended with 'Don't except to come back alive'. The Keshitai during the 20th century turned the tide of a massive battle, allowing their nation control of enemy-held fortresses and harbors._

_Much remained the same, with the Blue Cosmos members of the Keshitai turning the tide during several battles even before the war officially started. It has been rumored that the one who self-destructed inside the GENESIS cannon wished to become a member of the Keshitai._

_Yet even with the bloodiest war over, members of the anarchist ZAFT continue to pursue the destruction of war. The Earth Alliance will never allow this, and they will have the Blue Cosmos' support with the Keshitai at the front lines._

_Let it be known: ZAFT paid for the first war, and they'll pay for a second._"

The film finally ended, and Lacus was aghast at what the Blue Cosmos believed in. Such extreme ideals were the cause of much of the devastation in the closing weeks of the war, and to continue to believe them would only lead to more suffering.

What concerned her even more was the fact that they believe that Athrun had died, and that his final thoughts would have been wishing to join. The Blue Cosmos was the reason the war had started, and they were the reason Junius 7 was attacked with nuclear weapons, they were the reason GENESIS, the GAT-X series, the ZGMF-X series had been developed.

They were the reason Kira had been interrupted from professing his love to Lacus. The reason she was here. The reason she wasn't with her friends. The reason she wasn't with Kira.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Syuu and the guards entered the room.

"Well Miss Clyne, was it informative?" he mocked.

"That was the biggest load of lies I've ever seen and heard." She replied.

Syuu smiled at that comment. "Well then, I guess we'll start the second round."

They left the room again, and a second movie started.

-

Kira had never felt so powerless and helpless in his life. Even when Heliopolis was under attack and his friends in danger, he had the Strike to defend them. When Operation Spit Break's true target was revealed, the Freedom was made available to him. Now he had nothing, no suits and no Lacus.

They called Kisaka, Murrue and Andrew Bartfelt for answers and maybe even a plan, but all three were busy attempting to find the phantom attackers. After that Athrun called Yzak, only to find out that he, Dearka and Shiho had stolen several mobile suits and disappeared.

The captured Blue Cosmos members had no information to reveal, at least not to the amateurish techniques of Athrun and Kira, the former usually trying to beat the information out, only to be held back by his friends.

They were gathered inside the house, with Malchio and the orphans at the temple praying for Lacus' safety. A low rumbling sound was heard, and they rushed outside to see what it was. Whatever it was, it was large and was blocking the sun as it descended. To Athrun, it looked vaguely like a ZAFT design, while Cagalli and Kira were boggled.

Sai and Milly pointed to the sky, shouting at each other to be heard over the roar of the engines. It finally set down, and Athrun realized it was small suit shuttle, capable of atmospheric and space flight. The boarding ramp lowered, and out strolled two young male figures, one with blond hair, the other with silver.

"Yzak? Dearka?" Athrun said.

"Dearka?" Milly asked.

Dearka heard his name twice, once by Athrun, the next by a voice he would never forget.

"Miriallia!" Dearka said in surprise.

"Good, you're still here Athrun. I take it he must be Yamato?" Yzak asked, pointing at Kira.

"Yes, that's Kira. What are you doing here Yzak? Why aren't you in PLANT?" Athrun demanded.

"Long story, I'll explain on the way." Yzak responded, turning to walk back inside the ship. He had gone only a few feet when he realized no one was following him.

"I meant all of you, not just me." He said tiredly.

They still stood there as Dearka fixed his gaze upon Miriallia.

"Look, Blue Cosmos has been on a rampage, attacking former ZAFT forces and PLANT council members. Dearka, Shiho and I took it upon ourselves to stop the terrorists, but we need your help and Lacus' also."

Kira narrowed his eyes as an angry expression settled on his face. Yzak looked puzzled at the brown-haired Coordinator.

"What?" he asked.

"Lacus was kidnapped a few days ago by some of Blue Cosmos." Athrun explained quickly.

"Then we're the means of rescue. Get onboard, time is wasting!" Yzak said again.

This time Kira started up the ramp, followed by Milly who was eager to talk to Dearka. Sai sighed and followed, and the Cagalli with Athrun in tow.

The pilot wasted no time in taking off when the ramp was closed. The group could feel the vibrations through the floor as the ship ascended high in the sky.

"Tell me you have good suits on this thing." Kira growled.

"Four ZGMF-1017M High Mobility GINNs, a 'borrowed' GAT/A-01E2 Buster Dagger for Dearka, and a GAT-01D1 Duel Dagger for me." Yzak listed.

"And Shiho has one of the 1017M's claimed, that leaves three." Dearka put in.

"It's no Freedom, but one of those GINNs is now mine." Kira said.

"I really have no choice. I'll take the third HM GINN." Athrun conceded.

"That leaves the last one for me." Cagalli said.

"I can take suit operations and communications while you're all on missions." Milly volunteered.

"Why not, I can do CIC work." Sai announced.

"Good. I'll leave it to each person to inspect their stations and suits and learn their job duties." Yzak said before walking off to relieve Shiho.

-

In a matter of hours, Lacus had been forced to watch almost a dozen Blue Cosmos propaganda movies in a row. The circulation to her butt and legs was slowly being cut off from sitting for so long and any minute she was going to fall asleep.

A war of attrition was what this was; Lacus versus her captors, and unfortunately her captors were going to win very soon. As the last scene died away, the door opened again, allowing Syuu to enter. Lacus didn't acknowledge the man even as he cut her bonds and stood her up.

"Well, it looks like our little songstress has had enough for one day." He said while looking her over.

"Escort Miss Clyne back to her cell while we dock, and be gentle with her. She's going to be our ultimate weapon."

Two of the guards entered and gently lead Lacus back to her cell.

-

The ZAFT shuttle, called _Aprilius Null_, had left Earth's atmosphere. The group was back in space once again, and ready to fight for peace yet again. Kira, Cagalli and Athrun were examining their High Mobility GINNs and tweaking the OS to suit their respective needs.

Kira wasn't used to a machine gun; he had fought with beam rifles since reprogramming the GAT-X105 Strike at Heliopolis. The ZAFT Elite Pilot uniform was a different story. Only Cagalli had never worn it, while Athrun, Yzak and Dearka were all graduates of the elite academy and Kira had worn one when he received Freedom.

At least the OS already had an automatic reload function driver built-in, the only thing Kira had to worry about was ammo consumption.

"No beam weapons at all. Yeesh, no wonder Yzak and Dearka took the Dagger variants." Kira muttered, going over the heavy sword that was attachable to the rifle like a bayonet.

"At least this hunk of junk can fly faster than most of the suits out there. Yzak can almost keep up with his Duel Dagger and Fortrestra Armor." The group of pilots had started a small simulation to allow Kira and Cagalli time to get accustom to their new suits. The former ZAFT pilots had flown some 1017HM's during their academy training.

Kira had quickly adapted to his new suit, but the previous training that the other Gundam pilots had (minus Cagalli) had was almost unmatched. Cagalli had an even harder time, not used to the response times of the lightning-quick unit.

Yzak had managed to secure several sets of "Pardeus" 3-barrel missile launchers, which attached to the legs for the GINNs. Each GINN would have two Pardeus launchers, one for each leg, a MMI-M8A3 76mm heavy assault machine gun and a MA-M3 heavy sword.

The Buster Dagger was in essence the Buster Gundam, only with fewer missiles and no phase-shift armor. It was the same case for the Duel Dagger, no phase-shift armor and fewer missiles, but it was the best that Yzak could get given the circumstances and time restraints.

Naturally Kira, Sai, Milly and Cagalli had questioned Yzak and Dearka about the 'borrowed' Daggers, but neither pilot shared any information. Athrun suspected the reason why they were in Armory One, but didn't share anything with Kira and his friends.

"Get your butts to the bridge now." Yzak announced suddenly over the intercom. Cagalli muttered some rude things about Yzak as she finished her tweaking and started for the bridge.

Athrun and Kira met her halfway across the small hangar bay, together they floated towards the lift. Yzak was waiting impatiently for them, and a scowl greeted the three as the lift doors opened to the bridge.

"About damn time! CIC has picked up several unidentified Strike Daggers heading for a small Coordinator convoy. We'll be launching in order to protect the convoy should the Daggers show hostile intentions. It'll just be like the simulations: Dearka will hang back, Athha and Shiho support him while I, Athrun and Yamato engage any potential targets." Yzak explained, showing them the space map, which was zoomed in at a particular section.

"What about the shuttle? Who's going to protect the _Aprilius Null_ while we're gone?" Cagalli demanded.

"This shuttle has been outfitted with a dozen 75mm CIWS Igelstellung cannons, four banks of triple missile launchers and two 300mm rail guns." Dearka explained.

"It'll take a battleship to down the _Aprilius Null_, and we'll detect a battleship long before it can harm out ship." Yzak said, ending the conversation.

"Now get to your suits and await launch orders."

Dearka, Athrun and Kira immediately started for the lift while Cagalli glared at Yzak before joining them. Yzak sighed and shook his head as Shiho followed him to the second lift.

As the pilots waited for the order to launch, the shuttle's sensors confirmed their targets.

"Targets are four GAT-01A1 Strike Daggers, equipped with two beam sabers, a beam rifle, beam-coated shield, upgraded head vulcans and anti-infantry vulcans located in the feet of the suits. They are painted black and are currently observing minimal power protocols, with minimal emissions of any kind." Sai stated.

"They will register your launch before you can lock onto them, so don't expect an element of surprise. They're probably hoping that we pass over them without noticing, and I think we should launch when we're directly above them." He continued.

"Good idea. Launch order: me, Athrun, Shiho, Dearka, Yamato, and Athha. You know your duties." Yzak agreed.

"Roger." They all said.

"Just tell us when, CIC."

A few tense minutes had passed as the shuttle approached the almost invisible Strike Daggers. No doubt the natural pilots were wondering what the chances of a shuttle being there was. Finally Sai told them the time was right to launch.

"Yzak Jule moving out!"

"Athrun Zala launching!"

"Dearka Elthman making a sortie!"

"Shiho Hahnenfuss going out!"

"Kira Yamato, GINN HM launching!"

"Cagalli Athha launching!"

All of the mobile suits launched quickly, surprising the pilots of the four Strike Daggers. Dearka moved to combine his beam rifle and gun-launcher to form the hyper-impulse sniper rifle and fired at one of the Daggers. The pilot couldn't dodge in time, and consequently lost the suit's left arm, and sustained major damage.

Kira and Athrun moved to the left, flanking the Daggers and opening fire with their rifles. The three remaining Daggers dodged, but one was caught in a hail of bullets from all four GINNs and was destroyed.

The third pilot started to retreat from the battlefield, but Yzak wasn't about to let the coward get away. He pushed his thrusters to full, and started to chase after the Dagger.

The remaining undamaged Dagger started to fire his beam rifle wildly, doing nothing but wasting power. Shiho and Cagalli moved in on the pilot, angling their attacks so the Dagger couldn't dodge the bullets from both sides. Soon enough the bullets penetrated the armor and the battery reactor went critical, destroying the suit.

The damaged suit pulled out one of his beam sabers and charged Dearka. The blond Coordinator rolled his eyes and fired his sniper rifle again, this time destroying the suit in with a large explosion.

"_Aprilius Null_, guys, follow me, I think I've found their base!" Yzak said excitedly over the COM link.

Kira and Athrun took off first, while Cagalli and Shiho escorted Dearka and his slower Buster Dagger. They found Yzak just outside a small asteroid on an ecliptic orbit around the Earth.

"The cowardly bastard thought he escaped detection in here, so I scanned it and found energy readings that coincide with a power grid. Looks like a perfect base to launch strikes from to all Lagrange Points." Yzak said before powering up his thrusters and moving towards the asteroid.

Kira followed suit without even asking, eliciting cries of confusion from the other pilots. Shiho followed her former squad commander in, and seeing no choice, Yzak's former teammates followed as well. Not wanting to be left alone and not wanting to leave Athrun, Cagalli followed in last, covering their tail.

The hangar bay inside was strangely deserted, but kept in good condition. The pilots set their suits onto the deck and disembarked. They had gone no more than 20 feet towards the lift when a voice spoke up.

"Well now, there's something you don't see everyday. Councilor Jule, Commander Elthman, Commander Zala, Princess Athha, Sub-Commander Hahnenfuss and Mister Yamato together as a team, invading a harmless rock with stolen mobile suits." The male voice said.

"I don't have time for games. Who the hell are you?" Yzak demanded, slowly reaching for his pistol.

"No need to be rude Councilor, and no need for your firearm either. I am Commander Hiroto Syuu of the asteroid base Port Arthur." He replied.

"You're part of the Blue Cosmos aren't you!" It was a statement, not a question.

"How perceptive Princess." Syuu said.

"Then you're the ones responsible for all of the attacks lately." Shiho said.

"Yes we are. Quite a good job if I say so." Syuu confirmed smugly.

"What the hell have you done with Lacus?!" Kira demanded angrily.

"Miss Clyne is currently enjoying her time watching some choice selections on our history. Unfortunately she cannot be disturbed at this junction, please try again later." He said mockingly.

"Enough of this crap, let's take it to them." Yzak growled quietly. Kira and Athrun nodded, while Dearka, Shiho and Cagalli armed themselves.

Guards entered the hangar from all sides and surrounded the pilots.

"Move and Die Coordinator Scum." The leader said, brandishing a machine gun at them.

* * *

A/N: Whew, well once again constructively criticize my errors, please point out any spelling/grammar errors in an e-mail (prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com), and please read and review. The next chapter might take a little longer, I have some big plans I want to implement. Until then!


	4. Chapter 3: Her Rescuers

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai

A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie

Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (anyone seen Phase 01: Angry Eyes yet? It's awesome, with good background music!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

**_King Arthur6687:_** Note to self: Proof-read is good for all. Thanks for helping out, I'll have to re-post my previous chapters soon. You seem have to great faith in Lacus.  
**_KiraLacus/RyomoSakuno Forever:_** KiraxLacus seems to be one of the most popular pairings eh?  
**_Angel of Dreams:_** Fluff? Done. Action? Done. Suspense? I'll try. Intensity? Always. Cliffhanger? Hopefully.  
**_cherri-chan:_** Phase three should be out on Saturday (6PM Japan Time). I've seen Phase 2, and I think Shin pwns all with his Excalibur Swords.  
**_Chibi Fyrefly:_** Cagalli is a fighter, pure and simple. I figured 1017M GINN High Mobility types would be the easiest.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Her Rescuers**

C.E. 71

In an instant they were surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned. There was little on their level to use as cover, and there were plenty of men on the upper catwalks with unobstructed angles of fire.

"Surrender now or die!" the leader said.

Yzak looked around to see his options. As a soldier he always was prepared and even now, as a Councilor, he never gave up. Moreover, he had a little trick up his sleeve.

"Get ready to bounce, go through the main doors straight ahead, don't stop for anything!" Yzak whispered to the group.

The group nodded slightly, to show they understood. Dearka look Yzak square in the eyes. There seemed to be a silent countdown between the two.

"I won't repeat myself! Surrender! Or die!" the leader shouted again.

Yzak and Dearka threw two flash-bang grenades, which had almost magically appeared in their hands, upwards. The grenades detonated, sending the men on the upper catwalks clutch their ears in pain and squeeze their eyes shut to block the intense light.

The soldiers on the ground level were distracted for an instant, and that was just what the group needed. They pushed off and hurtled through the line of soldiers supposedly blocking their escape. The sound of flesh on flesh was heard, along with curses and by the time the soldiers recovered from the shock, their captives were gone.

"It's going to be tough to escape; they know where our suits are." Shiho pointed out.

"We'll worry about that later. Right now our objective is to disable and possibly destroy this outpost." Yzak said.

"And rescue Lacus." Kira reminded him.

"We should split up: one group goes for the generators on this rock, the other goes to rescue Lacus." Athrun suggested.

"I, Dearka and Shiho will go for the generators. You, Kira and Cagalli go for Lacus." Yzak agreed, splitting the team into two.

"First we should find out where everything is. Even with our new weapons we can't fight off the entire base." Dearka said.

There was a nearby information terminal, to which Kira stepped up and started to hack their system to access the restricted information. He was muttering to himself about bypassing this and re-routing that until finally the console beeped.

"We're in. Prison cells and Lacus are one Level 13. Generator and Power Regulation controls are located on Level 17. We're on Level 15 currently and there's an armory located two corridors over." Kira said, locating all of their objective locations.

"Right then, to the armory and then we split up. Try not to be more than 30 minutes. We'll meet up at the hangar again." Yzak said.

Surprisingly no one had set off an alarm yet. The guards knew that they had escaped, and the base commander, Syuu, knew as well. What kind of game was he playing?

They reached the armory without encountering any opposition, so they quickly broke in to grab what they needed. Everyone got a thruster pack; to better navigate the corridors, two grenades; one flash-bang and one fragmentation, a pistol with spare clips and spare clips for their stolen machine guns. The Generator Team grabbed high-yield explosives as well.

"Good luck to you." Dearka said before the two groups parted ways at an access tunnel.

"Same to you." Athrun replied.

Yzak, Dearka and Shiho jetted downwards, flying away to accomplish their objectives. Athrun looked at Kira solemnly. All three nodded and they took off for the upper levels.

-

"Sir, shouldn't we alert the rest of the base personnel?" asked one of the guards.

"And ruin our fun? We haven't had a real challenge in ages, especially hand to hand. We'll let our plucky heroes and heroines continue unopposed until they meet guards who don't know about the situation." Syuu replied, relishing this new challenge.

"What about the injured guards on 15?" he asked.

"What about them? They were all careless enough to be distracted, and so they paid a price. Mind you I would have made them pay a bigger price, but that's just me." Syuu said, brushing off all of the guards concerns.

-

It had taken Kira, Athrun and Cagalli only a few minutes to zip up the access tunnel to level 13. Athrun opened to door slowly, trying not to alert any guards of their presence. He still wasn't sure why the alarm hadn't gone off, but he was thankful nonetheless.

"What cell is she in?" Cagalli asked.

"Cell Block 1138, Cell 2187." Kira replied while scanning for patrols.

"Maybe we should don some enemy uniforms, just in case." Athrun said.

Lady Luck was definitely with them, they turned a corner to see two guards floating away from them. There was one male and one female, and they looked young. The three quickly and silently caught up with the guards and knocked them out with their rifle butts.

There was an unoccupied room nearby, so the trio dragged the unconscious guards into the room to change. Athrun and Cagalli changed with theirs backs to each other, which allowed Kira to watch the doors, just in case someone popped in.

"Here's the plan: we'll 'cuff' Kira and pretend he's our prisoner being transferred to Lacus' cell block. Assuming there are only a few guards present, we can overpower them and rescue Lacus." Athrun suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Cagalli agreed.

"Then let's do it." Kira said

The door to the cellblock opened silently, the trio walked in, with Cagalli and Athrun flanking Kira, who had his head lowered. Kira's twin and best friend held their rifles at a low ready position, while his own hands were bound in front.

"Where are you taking him?" the head guard asked. Two other guards looked up from their stations.

"Prisoner transfer to cell block 1138." Athrun replied.

"I wasn't notified of this." The head guard said.

"Commander Syuu kept the intrusion quiet." Athrun wasn't lying.

"That doesn't matter, hand him over and leave."

Kira looked up finally, his eyes crystallized into seed mode. The guard paused at this sight, which gave Kira enough time to pull his handcuffs apart and snatch Cagalli's machine gun out of her hands.

"Look out he's loose!" Athrun yelled, diving to the side and taking aim with his machine gun.

Cagalli dived to the other side and pulled out her pistol as Kira opened fire, scything back and forth and taking out the two hapless guards. The head guard had better reflexes, allowing him to dive underneath the console for cover. Unfortunately for him, Athrun flipped over the console, landing right behind the guard. The two shots couldn't even be distinguished from the racket Kira was making while shooting out the cameras and a few control panels.

Finally there was nothing left to shoot, and as the general cacophony died down, an alarm could be heard. It was a localized alarm, much to Athrun's relief.

"You go get Lacus, I'll answer the call." Athrun ordered. Kira didn't even give a second look; he was already heading down the hall looking for cell number 2187.

"Uh, everything's under control here now." Athrun said as he turned unit on.

"What happened up there?" the man asked.

"Slight weapons malfunction caused by a prisoner's escape attempt. Everything is under control now." Athrun was beginning to sweat a little.

"We're sending a squad up."

"Negative, negative, there's been a reactor leak here, very large leak, very dangerous. Give me a minute to lock it down." You could have cut Athrun's tension with a spoon.

"Who is this? What's your operating number?"

Athrun fired into the console, destroying it.

"Boring conversation anyways." Athrun muttered, noting Cagalli mouthing 'reactor leak?'

"Kira! We're going to have company!" Athrun yelled, turning to Kira's direction.

Kira didn't acknowledge Athrun's warning visibly, but he knew he had to find Lacus' cell. It wasn't much further before he found it. He opened the door and saw Lacus, bound and gagged. Her feet were tied together, barely able to support her, her hands tied together at the wrists above her head, her mouth was gagged and there was something in her ears and over her eyes making her twitch slightly.

"Lacus!" Kira called out, rushing into the cell to help her.

He quickly undid the straps holding her upright and unbound her hands and feet. Lowering her gently to the floor, he removed her gag and noticed wires were trailing from the ceiling to whatever was covering her ears and eyes.

"Kuso, what are they doing?" he asked himself.

Removing one of the earpieces, he brought up to his own ear to listen.

"_And so it was, the Coordinators were overrun at Carpentaria, fitting justice for the attack on JOSH-A. It was largely due to the Blue Cosmos' elite Keshitai that ..._"

Kira dropped the earpiece and removed the other one from Lacus, and then took the eye coverings off. Her eyes were still twitching under her eyelids.

"Lacus." He said again, softly this time.

"Kira?" she mumbled, as she opened her eyes, still unsure of what exactly was going on.

"I'm here Lacus." He said, hugging her tightly.

"Kira!" she said, more relieved this time.

Lacus broke the embrace and kissed her handsome rescuer passionately on the lips. Kira returned her kiss with equal passion and the melted into each other's arms.

-

Yzak, Dearka and Shiho made it down to the Generator room without any problems whatsoever, which merely reinforced Yzak's belief that the three of them were being toyed with.

The trip down the access tunnel had gone smoothly, and they had made it to their destination rather quickly, only seeing two patrols, both of which were easily avoided. Dearka, Yzak knew, had his doubts about the difficulty of their mission, or the lack thereof.

The trio of Coordinators placed their explosive in key areas, zipping back and forth to accomplish their mission. Their actions reminded Yzak and Dearka of infiltrating Heliopolis and setting explosives to destroy the _Archangel_ and wipe out the crew. The ship had survived and in the end it was a good thing.

Now however, Yzak saw no chance of the Blue Cosmos joining any neutral faction to stop two genocidal factions. To Yzak, the Blue Cosmos had ordered the attack on Junius 7, and the attacks on the Boaz space fortress and the failed and repeated attacks on the rest of the PLANTs.

These people had to be stopped, and it had to be now. No one could afford another war, not with all of the hatred flying around. It would truly become genocide if the flames of war were fed enough to consume everyone.

Yzak wouldn't let that happen, not after all he and everyone else had done!

"Yzak!" Dearka said, breaking Yzak out of his train of thought.

"What?" he snapped irritably.

"Charges are set; we've got to rendezvous with Athrun's team now."

"Right. Set the timers for 3 minutes." Yzak ordered. Shiho and Dearka complied, and they quickly left the room.

"Did Kira say exactly where Lacus was being held?" Shiho asked as they passed level 16.

"Not to my knowledge." Dearka said.

"No he didn't say, but I saw her location on the terminal. Cell block 1138, cell 2187." Yzak said, confirming the location.

An alarm went off as they passed level 14. Yzak sighed and readied his weapon, his squad members doing the same. Finally they came to level 13. It wasn't utter chaos, as Yzak had assumed it would be, but there were more patrols out than they had encountered on level 17.

"What's with all of the commotion?" Dearka asked.

"Athha probably tripped over something." Yzak retorted.

"_Emergency in Cell Block 1138._" A voice said over the intercom.

"Oh great, now they've done it. I really think Athrun's lost his edge."

The trio managed to get to the cellblock undetected, in time to see a group of 10 men attempting to pry the door open. None of them gave the soldiers a second thought as they quickly dispatched their opponents.

Seeing there were no other guards in the vicinity, they stepped over the bodies and leaned towards the door.

"Athrun! Kira! Are you in there?" Dearka said quietly.

"They won't be able to hear you if you whisper!" Yzak said impatiently.

Their three minutes were up, and the bombs placed on the generators detonated, taking everything from the coolant systems to the power grip with it. The lights flickered briefly, and then died. Emergency lights snapped on, providing minimal illumination. The quiet humming of the air circulators died out as well.

"Objective one complete with bonus side effect of no air." Dearka said sarcastically.

Yzak grabbed the pry-bar that was still lodged in the door. With no power to hold the door shut, it slid open easily, at least for Yzak. He stepped inside, with Shiho and Dearka right behind him. They scanned the room, rifles at the ready. Three bodies were on the floor, and the remains of a communications unit on the console could be seen, along with the dangling remains of security cameras on the walls.

"Zala! You'd better be finished in there!" Yzak called out.

Two figures separated from the shadows, and thanks to his enhanced vision, Dearka could tell that it was Athrun and Cagalli, both holding their machine guns aimed at the door.

"Damnit Yzak! We thought you were Blue Cosmos soldiers." Athrun said.

"In your dreams. Now where are Yamato and Lacus?"

"Right here." Kira said, emerging from the cell carrying Lacus who held on to Kira's upper body tightly.

"I'd rather not leave our suits here for these terrorists to examine, so I suggest we make our escape post haste." Yzak said, turning to leave.

The group made it to the access tunnel unopposed, but as soon as Dearka peeked inside, he immediately pulled out again.

"What?" Shiho asked.

"20 armed guards in there." Dearka said.

Yzak armed his fragmentation grenade and tossed it down the shaft. Counting to three, he closed the door to block the explosion. Muffled cries of pain and surprise were heard, and he opened the door to peek.

"All clear." Yzak said.

Clear of living enemies was one thing, but the tube now held free-falling blood drops and dead bodies, mutilated from the shrapnel grenade. Lacus kept her eyes squeezed shut and held onto Kira tightly as they passed the carnage.

Even Cagalli kept closer to Athrun than usual, at least until they cleared the chaos. Finally they reached level 15, and exited the access tunnel. Stepping onto the deck, Shiho looked around.

"All clear ... for now." She called back to her teammates.

The group was moving as quickly as possible, heading for the hangar bay to board their suits and get off this rock. The extensive damage to the generators meant Port Arthur would be out of commission for several months. Yzak made a mental note to log the coordinates and send in an inspection crew later.

They had just reached the doors when Syuu spoke over the intercom again.

"Well played my friends, very well played. Rest assured this is not the end of us, or the debt between us. There will be a day when the Earth Alliance will strike vengeance for all of your crimes, and come hell or high water your secrets will be rightfully stolen."

"Go to hell Syuu and enjoy the stay." Yzak said.

"And if you ever try to hurt my friends or loved ones again, I can assure you will pay a price larger than you thought possible." Kira added.

"I can assure you Mister Yamato, I have a very good imagination, so I challenge you: do your worst!" There was an audible click as the system shut down.

"Must've been running on a battery backup." Dearka said.

"I guess the base staff is too busy trying to cope without a generator to give us second thought." Shiho said.

"Well, except for Syuu, he seems like the type to hold a grudge." Cagalli commented.

Their suits were exactly as they had left them, which was another surprise to the group.

"You know for a group formerly belonging to the Earth Alliance, their policies in dealing with intruders is sorely lacking." Athrun said, settling in his GINN HM cockpit.

"Beggars can't be choosers." Cagalli replied.

"Yeah, don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Dearka added.

"Enough of the proverbs, let's get back to the _Aprilius Null_." Yzak said, taking off and shooting out of the hangar.

"Home sweet home." Shiho said, launching next.

"Gonna make like a tree and leave." Dearka said in a sing-song tone.

"Home is where you hand your heart, or park your suit." Cagalli was next.

"Some things just get out of hand around us." Athrun said.

Kira was the last to launch, Lacus was trying to find a comfortable position to sit, and not so awkward that Kira couldn't pilot.

Their timing for escape couldn't have been worse. A distress beacon had been launched when the generators were destroyed, signaling all off-base units to return. Kira had just launched when their sensors picked up over a dozen targets.

"Tally ho! I read 13, repeat one three, mobile suits, GAT-01A Strike Daggers and one _Xebec_-class light carrier." Sai reported from the _Aprilius Null_.

"A little over 2-to-1 odds. _Null_ can handle that carrier with no problem, everyone else, break by pairs and call out your targets!" suiting words to actions, Yzak and Dearka broke left, aiming at the topmost Strike Dagger.

"Cagalli, with me! We'll take the bottom Dagger!" Athrun announced.

"It's just you and me then Kira. We'll go for the port-side Daggers." Shiho said.

Lacus' eyes widened. Fighting other mobile suits with a burden in your cockpit? That was almost unthinkable. Kira acknowledged and aimed at one of his targets.

Yzak opened fire with his beam rifle, scattering his group and destroying one of the Daggers.

"First blood is mine!" he called out triumphantly.

Dearka combined his guns to from the anti-armor shotgun and fired at the scattering Daggers. A second one exploded from the barrage.

"Two down!" he tallied.

Athrun and Cagalli opened fire with their machine guns, both of them targeting the same suit to down it faster. The Dagger exploded as the rest of them opened fire, forcing Cagalli and Athrun into evasive maneuvers. Kira switched out his rifle for his heavy sword as Shiho opened fire.

Kira used that as cover and darted forward, bringing the sword down through the head of a Dagger. Shiho damaged another one by destroying its arm. The _Aprilius Null_ opened fire on the _Xebec_-class, damaging its forward weapons. The CIWS Igelstellung cannons opened fire as well, destroying a fourth dagger. With only seven Daggers to engage, the odds had become considerably more balanced.

The Daggers split into teams, two teams of two and a team of three. The trio of Daggers hounded Dearka while the other teams engaged Cagalli and Shiho. Kira moved to support his teammate and grabbed his rifle.

A lucky shot penetrated the Buster Dagger's armor, damaging the cockpit and taking Dearka out of the fray.

"_Aprilius Null_, I'm hit! Coming home." Dearka said.

If they had their Gundams, these mass produced units would have been dust in the wind in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately the mass produced units they were flying weren't as superior as the Gundams they were used to flying.

Yzak grabbed both of his beam sabers and charged the lead Dagger, slicing its arms off then stabbing the cockpit before slicing the head off of the next Dagger. As Kira flew past Shiho, he fired his rifle, hitting one of the Daggers in the upper torso, destroying its main thrusters.

Athrun equipped his own heavy sword and dragged it through a Dagger harassing Cagalli.

"Blue Cosmos forces, you are now outnumbered and outgunned. Lower your weapons and surrender, or we'll be forced to destroy you." Yzak broadcasted.

The natural pilots ignored the offer and continued their attack. Shiho lost her GINNs arms to a wild attack from one of the Daggers and retreated while Kira destroyed her attacker. Cagalli attached her sword to her rifle, slammed it into the other Dagger, and then opened fire.

The two remaining Daggers started a suicide charge on the _Aprilius Null_, aiming for the engines and bridge. The GINN HMs raced after the suicidal units while Yzak moved to take out their carrier.

A blanket of fire came from the three GINNs, destroying both Daggers before they could do any serious harm. The _Aprilius Null _kept attacking the natural carrier, and with Yzak's help they sent it running in short order.

A medical team was in the hangar bay by the time everyone had secured their suits. Milly was beside Dearka, tending his light shoulder wound as the medics cleared Shiho.

"I think a debriefing can wait for a few hours. I suggest we all get some rest." Yzak said. The others nodded in agreement.

Kira and Lacus made it back to his room without saying much. Lacus was reluctant to let him go even when the doors closed. She looked up at Kira.

"Thank you for rescuing me." She said earnestly.

"Yzak's the one who got us up here and he got us the suits, you'll have to thank everyone. But I'm grateful you're ok." Kira replied.

"As long as you're here, I'll be fine." She replied sweetly.

Kira smiled as kissed her again.

* * *

A/N: Well I had a case of Writer's Block for the ending, so don't be surprised if I go back and change a few things. Speaking of changes, I went back to fix most (hopefully all) of my previous errors and changed a few minor things. It may be a while for my next update, I'm busy with Phase Zero, CT914 and G:OB that Amuro is hosting. Again always R&R, Constructive Criticism welcome.


	5. Chapter 4: A Series of Unfortunate Event...

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y ... uh ...**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (anyone seen Phase 01: Angry Eyes yet? It's awesome, with good background music!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_** Shiho Hahnenfuss was Yzak's second-in-command during the last weeks of the war when Yzak was transferred to back to go there and she's the second pilot with the shorter brown hair. She piloted a GuAIZ during the Battle of Jachin Due. She can be seen in SEED Episode 43 and 48 IIRC. She can also be seen in the Destiny ending, sitting beside a standing Yzak and Dearka. She piloted a CGUE Deep Arms before formally becoming Yzak's second.

* * *

**_King Arthur6687:_** Yeah, I think that's my first chapter without major errors (whew)

**_Chibi Fyrefly:_** I don't believe that many people know that Shiho exists within the SEED universe, and it's rumored that she's engaged to Yzak in Destiny. I guess we'll find out sooner or later!

**_Angel of Dreams:_** Well I've never had anyone scared about the outcome, but it's welcome anyways. Less people know about Shiho than I thought.

**_cherri-san:_** Phase 3 was interrupted due to an earthquake on Saturday and there's talks about re-airing it on the 30th, but nothing for sure. There's a raw out that's only 11 minutes long.

* * *

**Chapter 4: A Series of Unfortunate Events**

C.E. 71

The group met on the bridge several hours later. Dearka had already filled Milly and Sai in on what happened on the asteroid while Yzak had been on the com line with somebody from PLANT for the last few hours.

"So what do we do now?" Kira asked, with Lacus as his side.

"For now we return to Armory One, return our suits and then we figure out what our next move is." Yzak said.

"Is the council mad that you borrowed several suits and took off to parts unknown?" Cagalli asked.

"I think they're madder that Yzak didn't respond to Durandal's letter than they are at us leaving unannounced." Dearka said.

"I think it would be a good idea to contact Malchio and let him know we're all fine." Lacus suggested.

"We can use PLANTs communicator, it's better than the one onboard the _Aprilius Null_." Shiho said.

The journey back to PLANT took less than an hour, so the group busied themselves with repairs jobs and other minor tasks. However, they were not prepared for the carnage that awaited them.

"Uh, Yzak, I'm picking up a debris field ahead." Sai said suddenly.

"What? There are no recorded fields anywhere near PLANT, even with the battles that went on." Yzak responded, confused.

Mobile suit parts floated past them and clanged off the hull. Then something hit the forward viewscreen with a dull thud. It was a body of a pilot, wearing a ZAFT uniform.

"Oh my god, what the hell happened here?" Yzak asked slowly.

"INCOMING SUITS!" Sai yelled.

Yzak turned to the sensor monitor. Five suits were closing in fast.

"All pilots to your suits!" Yzak ordered over the intercom.

Kira froze at the order. He was confused as to why they had to prepare to launch when they were so close to PLANT. Finally, he shrugged and started to activate his GINN. Lacus floated up to his cockpit and poked her head in.

"Why are you launching?" she asked innocently.

"I'm not sure; I thought PLANT was supposed to be safe."

"Just come back to me ok? I can't stand the thought of losing you." She said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I promise." He leaned forward and kissed her.

-

Dearka was standing around anxiously, waiting for the technicians to clear his suit for duty. The tech floated down to Dearka with a nervous look on his face.

"Sorry Commander Elsman, Buster Dagger won't be ready for this battle, it'll take us at least four hours to fix it. But we'll get right on it."

Dearka swore and punched the foot of his suit in anger as the tech floated over to check on Shiho's suit.

"Can't even protect the ones I care about." Dearka muttered as he slowly floated away from his damaged suit.

"And they are?" Dearka jumped at the sound of Miriallia's voice.

"Oh! Miriallia! I didn't hear you coming." Dearka said, starting to calm down just a little.

"I think the clang you made with your fist was heard on the moon." She joked.

Dearka did not reply to her joke, and a moment of tense silence crept up.

"Uh, how's your shoulder?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Its fine now, thanks." Dearka said, blushing as he remembered her gentle ministrations

"So you're not going out there?" Milly asked.

"I wish I was, but my Buster Dagger can't be repaired in time. It really bites." Dearka said angrily.

"Good." She said curtly.

Dearka stared at her, astonished at her tone of voice. Milly realized how that had sounded and turned red from embarrassment.

"Err, that's not what I meant to say..." she stammered out.

"So what did you mean to say?" Dearka asked.

"Well, it's just that I have a bad feeling about this battle. It's the same kind of feeling I got when Tolle died ..." she explained.

Dearka felt bad for accidentally bringing up Tolle. He knew that she needed time to get over his death, so he had to keep his distance.

"I see." He replied slowly.

"I ... just don't want ... anyone else ... that I care about ... to die." She said her voice full of emotion as she started to cry.

"Thank you." He kissed her gently on the cheek before wandering off.

Milly's eyes widened with surprise as she brought her hand up to her cheek to feel the spot where Dearka's warm lips had been.

-

Shiho was unhappy. The techs had certified her GINN as 'busted', meaning she could not even help PLANT in their time of need. She drifted across the hangar to leave and perhaps help on the bridge when she bumped into Yzak.

"Ow, Hahnenfuss, watch where you're going!" Yzak said irritably.

"Wait, where are you going?" he asked, confused as to why she was leaving the hangar.

"My GINN has too much damage from the last battle, so it's down for repairs with Dearka's Buster Dagger.

"Well I suppose you and Dearka can help out on the bridge or help the gunners. Just make sure we're kept up to date on our opponents." Yzak suggested.

"Be careful out there Commander Jule." Shiho said, saluting Yzak.

"Damnit Shiho, I'm not a Commander." That would have had a greater effect on her had she not kissed him on his cheek before heading to the bridge.

"Yzak! Get to your suit before I take it!" Dearka said, coming up upon a stunned Yzak.

Yzak was still stunned; he didn't notice that Dearka was looking happier either. Dearka floated towards the bridge as Yzak shook his head and started towards the hangar again.

-

"All suits have been launched Commander Dearka." Milly reported.

"Err, thanks, but I'm not a Commander anymore." Replied Dearka. Commanding something other than a suit was not his style.

"Yamato! Stick with me! Zala and Athha will pair up." Yzak ordered.

Lacus and Shiho were watching on the bridge as well, waiting to see the outcome of the battle.

"Arm our forward cannons and prepare the CIWS." Dearka ordered, trying to sound like he knew what he was doing.

"Enemy suits identified! Four 105 Daggers, two with Aile Striker Packs, one with a Launcher Striker Pack and one with a Sword Striker pack!" Sai confirmed.

"And the fifth?" Dearka asked.

"Fifth?" Milly asked.

"There were five suits before we launched!" Yzak put in.

Sai wasn't even paying attention to his com line. An orange suit had placed itself in front of the bridge and flashed its eye cameras. It was clearly a Gundam-type suit, V-fins and head design practically screamed it out.

The suit raised its left arm, aiming one of its rocket anchors at them. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, Lacus lowering her head sadly at the thought of never being with Kira again, Milly's eyes widening in fear, Sai sinking into seat as if it would provide adequate protection, Shiho ducking behind one of the consoles, an angry expression settling on Dearka's face as if looks alone could scare the pilot away.

"NO!" someone shouted as one of the GINN HMs rammed into the enemy suit at full thrust. An insignia of two crossed sabers over a rose flashed by as the suit stabilized itself.

"Ed the Ripper." Dearka whispered.

"Who?" Milly asked.

"Ed the Ripper." Yzak said, stopping beside Kira's GINN.

"That's a GAT-X133 Sword Calamity!" Sai said, the computer finally identifying their fifth enemy.

"Only three were built according to Alliance records, one was given to Edward Harrelson. After every battle he would come back with his suit covered in the blood of his vanquished enemies, thus his name 'Ed the Ripper'." Lacus explained.

"Cagalli! Athrun! Keep those 105's busy!" Kira yelled.

"What? Why?" Cagalli demanded, dodging a shot from the Launcher Dagger.

"Yamato and I are going after Eddie boy here, that's why." Yzak replied.

Kira and Yzak took off after the Sword Calamity before it reached Athrun and Cagalli. Yzak fired several shots at Ed, all of them missing, but got his attention. Ed swiveled around and threw both of his beam boomerangs.

Kira dodged the attack and fired on the Sword Calamity, doing minor damage. The boomerang started back and Kira dodged again, letting the weapon fly past. Yzak took a different approach, firing his beam rifle and head vulcans at the boomerang in an attempt to destroy it.

"Yzak! Behind you!" Kira warned.

Yzak raised his shield in time to block an attack from one of the anti-ship swords that the Sword Calamity was equipped with. The second boomerang finished its arc when Kira opened fire on it. Most of the bullets were destroyed by the spinning weapon, but one bullet found its mark, hitting the handle and destroying the weapon.

Kira holstered his rifle and pulled out his heavy sword, swinging the weapon downwards at the Ripper. Ed pulled out his other anti-ship sword and blocked the attack. The young Coordinator growled in anger as the older Natural pilot activated the beam blade, cutting through the GINNs blade and send the top half flying.

The silver-haired Coordinator cursed, and then activated his own beam saber to counter the second sword aimed at him. Kira backed off, threw the useless remains of his sword away and fired his rifle again, this time aiming for the cameras mounted on the Sword Calamity. The pilot disengaged one of his swords to use his forearm mounted shield to block the incoming fire.

Cagalli and Athrun were having a much easier time dealing with the 105 Daggers and their Striker packs. Cagalli had targeted the Agni hyper-impulse cannon of the Launcher-Dagger and fired at it. The bullets impacted all up the length of the cannon, destroying it and severely damaging the 105 Dagger.

She closed the range between them and cut the Dagger in half with her sword. Athrun fought off both of the Aile Daggers, dodging their shots and trying to score direct hits himself. The 1017M had more maneuverability than a 105 Dagger with an Aile pack, and the blue-haired Coordinator used that to his advantage.

Finally, one of the pilots hesitated, allowing Athrun to properly aim and open fire, riddling the 105 Dagger with bullet holes. It didn't explode, but several bullets had penetrated the cockpit, killing the pilot. The Sword-Dagger came flying in, swiping at Athrun left and right in a vain attempt to exact vengeance.

Kira pulled the trigger again, but found out that he his clip was empty. He hit the reload function, but Ed the Ripper charged and sliced off Kira's gun arm. The GINN backed away from the Sword Calamity in haste. Ed smiled and ignited his thrusters again, swords poised.

None of the other pilots could react in time to completely dodge the attack, but Kira, the recipient of the attacks, managed to avoid getting killed. Ed the Ripper sliced off the GINNs head and other arm before Yzak charged, scoring a hit on the right rocket anchor.

"Get back to the _Null_ Yamato; you can't do any more good back there!" Yzak said, sliding in between Kira and Edward.

Kira started towards home when Ed batted Yzak away with the back of his sword. Yzak cursed as he fired his thrusters to stop his momentum. Ed sped towards Kira and fired his left rocket anchor at the defenseless GINN. It tore the GINN's lower right leg off before Ed retracted it.

He pulled both of swords out, activated them and connected them together, making it a double-thick weapon. Kira's secondary cameras showed him the orange horror approaching him, but he wasn't able to move in time thanks to the damage he had sustained.

Lacus' heart stopped for a moment as she saw the double swords slice mercilessly and effortlessly through Kira's GINN, starting at his right shoulder and quickly making its way to exit out his left hip. The severed section of the upper torso exploded before it had drifted more than a meter.

"Bastard!" Yzak screamed.

"Kira!" Cagalli yelled, her sword embedded in the Sword-Dagger's head. She fired her rifle and jetted towards Yzak and her brother.

"All too easy." Ed commented before turning to face Yzak's Duel Dagger.

The last 105 Dagger exploded from Athrun's barrage. Two GINN HM types and a Duel Dagger couldn't hope to match against a Sword Calamity, even with its damage. Kira's engines fired intermittently as his friends surrounded Edward.

A hail of bullets narrowly missed the Sword Calamity, and everyone turned to see who was foolish enough to challenge Ed the Ripper. The suit was coming out from in front of the sun. The glow added with the flare from his thrusters masked the suit until the gap between the new suit and the other four disappeared.

"You again! Didn't learn your lesson the first time?" Ed called out; apparently, he knew who it was already.

"Ed The Ripper. Last time I wasn't trying to beat you, but this time it's different." The mysterious man replied.

"This time he's got me." Another masculine voice chimed in.

The glow finally subsided, revealing two suits, nearly identical in base form; one blue and one red. The blue suit had a massive thruster pack with large wings and held two beam spray pistols while the red one had a flight pack similar to those from Orb and a massive katana mounted on the left hip.

"The MBF-P02 Red Frame and the MBF-P03 Blue Frame." Cagalli murmured.

"Huh? Orb mobile suits here?" Athrun asked, confused.

"Red Frame is piloted by the Junk Tech Lowe Gear; he was at the Morgenroete facility when the _Archangel_ first set in for repairs." Cagalli said.

"And the Blue Frame?" Yzak demanded.

"I am Gai Murakumo, leader of the Serpent's Tail." The pilot of the Blue Frame replied.

"Get your friends out of here, Gai and I will deal with the Ripper." Lowe said, drawing his Gerbera Straight in one fluid motion.

Cagalli and Athrun each grabbed one side of Kira's GINN while Yzak trailed behind in case the Sword Calamity got past both of the Astrays. Lowe engaged the Sword Calamity to keep Edward occupied, while Gai kept a lookout for reinforcements.

The Gerbera Straight had no problems blocking the beam part of Edward's anti-ship swords, and the two pilots were swinging their swords in an attempt to disable or kill the other. Thanks to Lowe's reprogrammed OS, he was able to manipulate the Red Frame and use some kendo moves along with his sword.

Edward grimaced when he caught a face-full of Red Frame's foot, and then fired his Scylla chest cannon. It had only 30 maximum power compared to the original Calamity mobile suit, but it was still sufficient to destroy another mobile suit. However, Lowe was too fast for the beam and ducked beneath it.

Edward blocked the incoming blow with his swords and kicked out at Lowe, forcing the Junk tech to back away. He threw his remaining beam boomerang, which Lowe promptly dodged. It came circling back and Lowe dodged again and started another offensive, forcing Ed the Ripper to either block or dodge. The boomerang flew past the Sword Calamity and sliced into the right-hand side of the torso of the GINN which Cagalli was piloting.

"Cagalli!" Athrun yelled in fear.

"I'm okay ..." she replied weakly as static ate into her transmission.

"8! Let's turn up the heat!" Lowe said, transferring more energy to his left hand plug. It began to glow brightly.

Lowe fired the Orb Blaster at the Sword Calamity. Edward smiled, connected his swords again and swung them like a baseball bat, sending the energy orb flying back towards Lowe.

"Oh crap! He deflected it!" Lowe and Gai went evasive to dodge the blast.

With Blue Frame and Red Frame distracted, Ed the Ripper moved in to finish Kira and Cagalli. He lifted his still-connected swords and prepared to strike. Kira had no chance at dodging the attack; most of his controls were dead, while Cagalli had a slim chance to live. Neither got the chance to even try, Athrun poured all power into his verniers and slammed into the oncoming Sword Calamity.

Unfortunately, a GINN weighs less than a Sword Calamity, and although there is no weight in space, there is still mass. Edward fired his thrusters briefly to stop his backwards momentum and swung his swords at Athrun. The young Coordinator started to dodge, but lost the GINN's right arm.

Lowe let loose a battlecry and swung his Gerbera Straight, slicing Ed's anti-ship swords in half. Ed fired his rocket anchor in retaliation but Gai had already moved in and opened fire with his beam spray pistols, which destroyed the weapon.

Edward charged his chest-mounted Scylla cannon again and fired it, this time at the retreating group of suits he harassed earlier. Gai activated his Full Armor Phase Shift, and the extensions attached to Blue Frame swung down and covered the suit like a coat. The Serpent's Tail leader moved in to block the beam from hitting one of the weaker suits, but he was too late.

Yzak intercepted the beam with his shield, and while the beam was only 30 as powerful as the ones found on the Forbidden, Raider and Calamity, it was still more than the mass-produced suit could handle. The explosion blew off the Dagger's left arm and leg and sent him wobbling back to his squad-mates.

In the resulting confusion, Ed made his escape. Gai and Lowe took off after the Sword Calamity, but their enemy had too much of a head start. The three GINNs and the Duel Dagger, all damaged, finally docked inside the _Aprilius Null_. Kira unbuckled his safety harness and floated out of the remains of his suit while Athrun rushed over to Cagalli's suit to help her out.

Lacus had made it down to the hangar bay in record time, the lift doors opening just as Kira put his feet on the deck. He pulled his helmet off as Lacus pushed off the back wall of the lift. She embraced him tightly and kissed him passionately, letting go all of the worries that haunted her while he was fighting Ed the Ripper.

Yzak was the last one to set down, but he didn't come out of his cockpit. Kira noticed it first and decided to go see what was wrong. Athrun was bringing an injured Cagalli out of her cockpit; evidently, the beam boomerang did more collateral damage that anyone thought.

Kira came to a stop by the emergency handle on the side of Yzak's cockpit. He quickly opened the cockpit and peered inside.

"Yzak, are you alright in there?" Kira asked.

Yzak was slumped over, held up only by his harness, his helmet's faceplate was open judging from the blood slowly trickling from his mouth. Blood was slowly coming out of a wound on his left kidney, and there was a shard of metal lodged in the wound. Yzak's breathing was shallow and rapid, but he was conscious.

"Yamato ..." he started.

His next words were drowned out by Lacus' gasp as she saw Yzak's condition. Kira moved in and unbuckled him and lifted the injured pilot out of his chair.

"Get me a medical team!" he called out. One of the technicians rushed to a comm unit to summon the doctor.

Kira gently lead Yzak towards the lift doors at the side of the hangar and Lacus followed. She noticed that Cagalli's injuries weren't that severe, judging from the way she was kissing Athrun.

The doctor and two aides met Kira and Yzak just as they landed on the deck. One of the aides floated over to check on Cagalli's condition while the other aide and the doctor took Yzak into the lift.

The aide and Cagalli were arguing about her injuries as Athrun came over to see Kira and Lacus. Cagalli was adamant that her injuries were 'mere scratches' while the aide refused to believe her story until she was examined. Finally the blond princess of Orb relented and followed the aide to the lift to be examined.

"That was a close battle, and if it wasn't for Lowe and Gai I think we wouldn't have made it back alive." Athrun said.

Lacus was horrified at Athrun's comment.

"How could you say that?" she demanded.

"It's true Lacus; Yzak had the only suit even remotely close to matching that Sword Calamity. Our GINNs may have had a speed advantage, but there's no way we can combat beam weapons." Kira said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Lacus turned to stare at the suits. Kira's GINN was a complete write-off, it was wonder he made it in alive. Yzak's Duel Dagger was severely damaged; it would most likely have to be scrapped as well. Athrun's GINN was in better shape, missing an arm, much like Shiho's GINN. Finally, Cagalli's GINN had sustained damage to the cockpit, much the same as Dearka had during their escape from Port Arthur. It really was a miracle they had made it through the battle alive.

Of course, it was thanks to Kira's actions that the _Aprilius Null_ wasn't damaged when Ed tried to destroy the bridge. She didn't know how PLANT was going to react to the status of Yzak and all of the suits he borrowed, but it would be more of a relief for them to find out that he was still alive.

"We're coming upon Aprilius One, and they want to speak to Yzak." Dearka announced over the intercom.

They all looked at each other. Athrun spoke first.

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

* * *

A/N: For the 'sword combining' scenes, it's the same method as seen in the Blue Frame MSV short, where Ed takes out the _Nazca_-class. As for Lowe and Gai, Astray X doesn't happen until after the war is over, and I think they just finished their fight with Gold Frame Amatu. You can check out for pictures of Blue Frame Second G and Second L (which I'll feature later on), along with the Sword Calamity and Dagger variants.


	6. Chapter 5: Dawn of the Apocalypse

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com  
**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y ... uh ...  
**This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (anyone seen Phase 01: Angry Eyes yet? It's awesome, with good background music!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

**_Angel of Dreams: _**Of course Milly cares, if she didn't, I might get mugged! 

**_Chibi Fyrefly:_** I had trouble thinking of a title for Chapter 4, but it is accurate. But sometimes skill can't compete when your suit is the first mass-produced suit. I got the name _Aprilius Null_ mainly from the PLANTs, and their naming conventions (check under Glossary for more details), as for the Astray promos, I used Bittorrent to d/l them. Check for more details, or e-mail me.

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Dawn of the Apocalypse**

CE 71, December 24th

It was December 24th, Christmas Eve. Yzak had just been discharged from the hospital and was sent home with his mother, Ezaria. There had been no more attacks from the Keshitai, not since the attack on their Port Arthur.

It was painfully obvious to the PLANT Council that Yzak's actions had saved a great deal of Coordinators from more guerrilla attacks, so instead of demoting him, they instead exonerated him and his mother from all of their previous actions.

That was one of the main reasons Yzak had joined the Council, to clear his mother's name. No one had any idea that Patrick Zala was willing to go so far as to try and destroy the Earth, but his accomplices were considered to be just as radical. It was fortunate that Rau Le Creuset had died in the Battle of Jachin Due; it wouldn't have looked too good putting ZAFT's former top ace on trial for attempted genocide.

Their borrowed mobile suits had been returned to Armory One with an apology, but the engineers and technicians stationed there didn't seem too concerned about the state of the suits. The _Aprilius Null_ was put back on active duty as an escort shuttle for PLANT and Earth Alliance officials.

Reverend Malchio was relieved that Lacus was unharmed, and overjoyed to hear that the attacks were stopped, but he knew that someone would try it again. The group had to agree, after all Blue Cosmos wasn't the type to give up after taking a hit. Quite the opposite, they would most likely triple their efforts to exact revenge and carry out their plans.

For now, none of them worried about any attacks. They were all present in Lacus' rebuilt mansion, enjoying a warm fire as snow lightly fell from the sky. Kira and Lacus were cuddling in a chair built for one, enjoying the peace and quiet. Milly had warmed up to Dearka after he confessed that he cared a great deal about her. Shiho and Yzak were talking about something in hushed tones, and the brunette Coordinator seemed to be enjoying her time with her former commander. Cagalli and Athrun were off somewhere in the house, Lacus believed that the blue-haired Coordinator was giving the princess of Orb a guided tour of the house he knew almost as well as his own.

Sai was still on the comm line, talking to his boss, apparently still explaining the recent events that had occurred. It had been almost a month since the kidnapping at Malchio's, but Sai's manager wasn't buying the entire story, despite what the news was showing.

With a frustrated sigh, he turned the comm unit off and stormed out of the room. Milly excused herself to try and calm her friend down. Something flashed through Lacus' head: _Sai needs a girlfriend_.

The same thought seemed to occur to Kira as well; he looked down at Lacus fondly and hugged her just a little tighter than before, grateful that he had such a wonderful girl to care for.

It wasn't more than five minutes before Miriallia came back with Sai behind her, looking a little dejected, but certainly not angry anymore. Milly sat down beside Dearka as Sai took the last free chair. Lacus turned the large comm screen on and tuned the receiver for the evening news.

A man in his late 30s was describing a foiled attack on Armory One. Several individuals were caught trying to steal several mobile suit prototypes. Their ship was detained by PLANT security forces and later impounded. The thieves and their crew were placed in a high-security prison, awaiting trial.

"So I guess Blue Cosmos is at it again." Yzak said tiredly.

"Looks like it, but it must have been an amateur job, the security forces aren't that well trained." Dearka said.

The news anchor signed off, and next was a repeat of one of Lacus' performances from the war. Kira had never actually seen her perform; his knowledge was limited to what he had heard aboard the _Archangel_. Sai and Milly were in the same boat as Kira, but Cagalli had heard her several days before she was kidnapped. Athrun, Yzak and Dearka had been to several of the songstress' concerts, as part of the morale-boost to keep the frontline soldiers happy.

_Itsukara Hohoemi wa  
__Konna ni Hakanakute  
__Hitotsu no Machigai de  
__Kowarete Shimau kara  
__Taisetsuna mono dake wo Hikari ni kaete  
__Tooi sora koete yuku Tsuyoso de  
__Hoshi no  
__Furu basho e  
__Omoi wo  
__Anati ni todoketai itsumo  
__sobani iru  
__Sono tsumetasa wo  
__Dakishimeru kara  
__Ima tookutemo  
__Kitto aeru ne  
__Shizukana yoru ni  
__Dakishimeru kara_

**I'm waiting for you,  
****In the still of the night ...  
****Hoping you'll return  
****For the smiles from past delights ...  
****Time has passed since those days ...  
****And now memories are all gentle waves ...  
****I've prayed to find you  
****Laughing under the stars ...  
****You may be away, so far ...  
****But one day,  
****We'll meet again,  
****Before the grave ...  
****When did happiness become so fragile ...  
****Easily destroyed by a single mistake ...  
****Only treasures turn into light ...  
****With the strength to venture  
****Past the sky's distant wake ...  
****I want to deliver my thoughts to you  
****Under the shooting stars ...  
****I'll embrace the coldness surrounding you ...  
****You may be away, so far ...  
****But one day,  
****We'll meet again before daybreak ...  
****... in the silence of the night ...**

Lacus was lip-synching along with the song, her eyes closed contentedly. Kira was humming quietly to the simple beat while Milly found herself relaxing into Dearka's arms. The fire crackled away as the group sat there, contentedly.

-

CE 71, December 31st

It was the time of the annual PLANT Council Ball. Yzak was invited immediately, being as he was a Councilor and his two aides, Dearka and Shiho received their invitations as well. Lacus received one, being the daughter of the former Supreme Chancellor and ever-loved songstress. Surprisingly, Cagalli received one as well, being the Princess of Orb. They all were allowed to invite a guest to join them, so Dearka immediately asked Milly, who blushed profusely.

Lacus had fussed for days about which dress to wear until Kira suggested the strapless and sleeveless blue satin full-length gown, which had a slit up the right side up to the middle of her thigh. When he said it would complement her eyes, she realized that she hadn't asked him yet. She started to ask when Kira said yes and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. He had picked out a simple white dress shirt and black dress pants.

Cagalli picked out her traditional green and white dress, the same one she had worn when the _Archangel_ had first set in at Onogoro Island. Athrun was going with her as an escort, date and bodyguard, so he picked out a simple black tuxedo.

Sai declined the invitation to come along as a guest, stating he had to go back home. Yzak pulled a few strings to get a high-speed transport for Sai, and apologized for dragging him into space.

Yzak donned his Councilor's dress uniform and Shiho and Dearka wore their PLANT military dress uniforms. Milly picked out a body-hugging silver gown, accompanied by a white shawl and elbow length white satin gloves.

A limousine picked all of them up from Lacus' mansion and dropped them off at the PLANT reception hall 20 minutes later. Yzak's mother, Ezaria, was already there with several men around her offering to be her date for the night.

Senator Tad Elsman was there from Februarius City, and there was also Senator Yuri Amalfi and his wife Romania, Nichol's parents. Eileen Canaver was also there, and the rest of the officials were relatively new to the scene.

"Dearka Elsman!" Tad said in a loud voice to get his son's attention.

"Father." Dearka said respectfully, moving towards an older-looking version of him. Dearka saluted his father once they were face-to-face.

"No need for that son, now tell me, who is this pretty young girl you're with?" he asked, dismissing his son's salute.

"This is Miriallia Haww. Milly, this is my father Senator Tad Elsman." Dearka introduced.

"Nice to meet you Senator Elsman." Milly said, allowing Dearka's father to kiss her hand. _He's as much of a lady-killer as his son is_ she mused.

"Please, call me Tad." He said.

"Dad, Ezaria is here tonight." Dearka said, casually pointing her out.

"Got to go! See you later son!" quick as a flash, Tad Elsman disappeared into the crowd, making his way towards Yzak's mother.

The crowd made its way inside the hall. There was a podium at the far end, raised enough to overlook the entire floor and multiple round tables. The itinerary called for a few welcoming speeches from Gilbert Durandal, Yzak Jule and Eileen Canaver, next was dinner, then about a 30 minute resting and mingling time, speeches from various people and finally a dance at the end, featuring a few singles from Lacus to celebrate the New Year.

There was a table reserved for the group, placed in a good location for easy access to the exit, podium and other facilities. Yzak sat first; taking the chair facing the podium, on his right sat Shiho and on his left sat Dearka and Milly. Cagalli sat in between Athrun and Shiho, with Kira taking a seat beside Athrun. Lacus took the last chair, sitting beside Kira and Milly.

Once everyone was seated, Supreme Chairman Gilbert Durandal stepped forward to the microphone on the podium. The small talk disappeared as most, if not all, eyes turned to the new Chairman.

"Thank you all for coming here tonight. I am greatly honored by everyone who showed up." He started.

"Tonight marks a great even in history: after two months of deliberation a mutually agreeable treaty has been formed. Both PLANT and the Earth Alliance has committed a lot of time and effort to this momentous occasion, and the official signing will be in a few months, at the Junius 7 remains site."

People started to whisper about the now-formed treaty and what ramifications it would have on daily life for both Naturals and Coordinators.

"Rest assured that the treaty benefits BOTH sides, and favors neither. It is only fitting that with a new year, comes a new hope: the promise of peace. Conflicts have plagued both nations for over 18 months, and I am pleased to announce that the party at fault has been stopped, and will be standing trial before a joint PLANT and Earth Alliance committee."

Applause broke out, along with some grumbling. Some weren't happy that the Earth Alliance had a say in the trial of criminals that had targeted Coordinators, but at least the attacks had been stopped.

"Now I welcome PLANTs newest Councilor to the podium, Yzak Jule!"

Yzak calmly walked towards the podium, keeping his expression passive in regards to the applause he received. His mother was beaming at him from her table, and his two aides, Dearka and Shiho, were clapping harder than anyone, even Athrun.

"Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen. It is an honor to be on the PLANT Council, and I assure you all I will do my best to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Now I present to you PLANTs most valued member: Eileen Canaver." Yzak's introduction speech was short, sweet and simple.

Another round of applause broke out as Eileen stepped forward. She had been a friend and ally of the late Siegel Clyne, a man who wanted nothing more than to end the war peacefully. It was fate that Kira was recovering at Lacus' when Eileen's frantic transmission came through about the true target of Operation Spit-Break. She had been responsible for the arrest of Ezaria Jule in the closing hour of the war.

"Thank all. It was a shock and a great honor when I was notified that I would remain on the Council, and I will serve you now as I did before: with compassion and dignity. A new era is among us, and I hope that my actions will preserve this new era of peace." She sat down as Durandal stepped up again.

"Thank you all for your time, dinner will be served in approximately 10 minutes."

The guests mingled a bit, talking to each other about various topics, but the treaty kept coming back several times a conversation. They were clearly all eager to find out what it would entail, and they were excited that the signing would be held a Junius 7's remains.

Soon enough dinner was announced, and a fabulous meal was served, two light appetizers, the main course and a delicious desert. The empty plates were cleared away with minimal fuss and all too soon, the dinner came to a delicious end. The guests were free to mingle about once more.

Dearka and Milly disappeared quickly, saying something about a walk. Shiho helped Yzak compose a short speech on the recent activities of the Blue Cosmos while Kira helped Lacus decide which songs to sing during the dance. Athrun and Cagalli went off to find Milly and Dearka to ensure nothing 'bad' was going to happen.

Yzak was slated to give his speech on the attacks first. Once everyone was seated again, he cleared his throat and plunged into his speech.

"The weeks after the end of the war have been plagued by attacks from a group of radicals. An elite team was sent out to find their base of operations and disable it in any way possible. They succeeded in their mission, the asteroid base was disabled and most of their mobile suit forces destroyed soon after. The team sustained heavy damage to their older model suits and there were a few injuries, but everyone made it through. The base was run by a faction of the Blue Cosmos. They consider themselves 'elite holy warriors' doing god's work. It is unfortunate that several Junior Councilors and pilots lost their lives before the terrorists could be stopped.

With the new treaty, a joint task force will be assembled to eliminate anymore rebellious groups that may emerge, but until then we will keep our vigil. I can assure you that any necessary steps will be taken to preserve PLANT and the fragile peace."

"That was certainly a good speech for a spur-of-the-moment thing." Dearka whispered to Athrun. Athrun nodded in reply.

Eileen Canaver and Gilbert Durandal had the same basic speech about rights, freedoms, peace, the treaty and how everyone should move on. By the end of Durandal's speech, the guests were ready to doze off. Athrun had to admit that he had heard better speeches and worse ones as well.

Cagalli was fiddling with her coffee spoon, with a bored expression on her face. Lacus and Milly were whispering animatedly and excitedly about something, most likely boys, or more specifically, two boys. Dearka and Yzak were talking about their missions together as Kira stared into space, his head cocked back and looking at the ceiling. Only Shiho seemed interested in the speech. Athrun rolled his eyes and relaxed in his chair.

"Thank you all for bearing with me through that tedious speech. Now please enjoy the dance and the rest of the night before the New Year begins!"

People started to move to the dance floor as Lacus adjusted the microphone to her level. She began to sing in a soft, melodic tone with a quiet piano to accompany her.

_Mizu no naka ni yoru ga yureteru_

_kanashii hodo shizuka ni tatazumu_

Shiho watched the moving dancers, and glanced at Yzak occasionally, who was talking to Tad Elsman and Eileen Canaver.

_midori na sukishibe_

Dearka invited Milly for a slow dance, and she accepted, wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling into his chest. He put his arms around her waist and gently lowered his head onto hers.

_utsukishii yoake wo tada matte iraretara_

Cagalli smiled genuinely as she led Athrun onto the dance floor by his hand.

_kirei na kokoro de_

_kurai umi to sora no mukou ni_

There was a twinkle of light in the night sky of the PLANT. A man spoke softly to himself: "And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

_arasoi no nai basho ga aru no to_

Another glimmer of light in the sky, another man spoke: "And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."

_oshiete kureta no wa dare_

There was a third flash of light, the third man continued: "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine."

_dare mo ga tadoritsukenai_

A fourth twinkle, barely visible even to enhanced Coordinator sight, and the fourth man spoke: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."

_soretomo dareka wo kokoro na naka ni_

"And unto thee," they spoke in unison, "we reveal the dawn of the Apocalypse, so it shall forever change the worlds we know."

_mizu no nagare wo shizumete_

_kureru daichi wo uruosu shirabe_

They descended upon the hall where the festivities were taking place, using the simulated gravity instead of thrusters to maintain their surprise.

_ima wa doko ni mo makute mo_

_kitto jibun de te ni ireru no_

_itsumo itsuka kitto_

Without warning Lacus was sent flying forwards as a white mobile suit foot crashed through the back wall. Screams of terror were uttered as a second foot broke through the wall. Within a few seconds, the entire mobile suit broke through the wall.

Kira deftly caught Lacus before she hit the floor. Her dress was torn in a few places and her hair was a mess. He set her down gently before stroking her loose hair out of her face.

"Are you all right Lacus?" he asked worriedly.

She opened her mouth to speak, but instead uttered a whimper of pain. Her hands shot to her ribs and clutched them protectively. Kira looked over to where her hands were and saw a shard of metal had imbedded itself into her ribcage.

There wasn't a chance to do anything about it immediately, as three new mobile suits crashed through the other walls. Joining the white one was a red one, a sickly-green one and a black one. They all shared similarities and all were armed to the teeth.

"Gundams?" Yzak asked.

Everyone inside the building was effectively trapped by the four new Gundams. They moved in closer in perfect synchronization, herding the trapped guests towards the center of the hall.

"You people have been chosen to reveal our existence to the world!" the black suit announced.

"We are the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse!" the pale-green suit added.

"I am known as Conquest!" the white suit proclaimed, hefting his heat shotels.

"I am War incarnate, bane to all mortal beings!" the red one said, hefting his large sword.

"Famine comes to plague you all!" the female pilot of the green one said.

"The Reaper comes in many forms, and in his latest incarnation, he is known as Death." The man in the black suit, whose voice sounded almost familiar to the group of young friends, activated his triple beam claw on his shield.

Two anti-vehicular missiles exploded on the War Gundam's back. The pilot took a step forward to maintain balance from the unexpected attack and turned around to find his foolish attackers. Two men were kneeling 50 meters away, holding Decimator missile launchers.

Just a few meters behind the men, an armored truck with a large-caliber linear gun was being set up. War Gundam opened fire with its four Igelstellung head vulcans, obliterating the opposing Coordinators in a flash.

Two DINNs swept in and fired on the War Gundam, to no effect. The aerial units came around for another pass as a GuAIZ stepped out from behind its cover and took aim. The GuAIZ fired its extensional arrestors at the War Gundam. Three arrestors flew from behind the War Gundam, blocking both of the GuAIZ's and the third crushing its head.

The War Gundam drew his 10 meter sword, ignited his boosters and sliced the GuAIZ in half, from top to bottom. The three attacking extensional arrestors flew back to their owner, the Death Gundam. The Famine Gundam raised her large gatling rifle mounted on her left forearm and opened fire, tearing holes in the ceiling as the arm moved to track the DINN units.

Dual explosions marked the end of the DINN units and their pilots. The proximity alarm in the Conquest Gundam went off, alerting the pilot to incoming missiles.

"Fools, they would kill their own to destroy us? This is why Coordinators must be wiped out, so they endanger no one else!" he muttered angrily while arming his beam rifle and placing his heat shotels on top, forming a bow-like weapon.

Famine and Conquest opened fire, shooting down the anti-MS missiles like flies. More mobile suits started to appear, forcing Death and War to move forward to cover their allies. Yzak and Dearka saw this as their only chance to escape, so they seized it.

"Kira, grab Lacus, Athrun, Cagalli, Shiho, get ready to move on my mark! We're getting out of here before those damned Gundams turn their attention back to us." Yzak said, informing the group of the plan.

**... in the silence of the night ...  
**

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A/N: Damn, that took a while; my inspiration was down the drain. Please R&R, I only got two reviews for "A Series of Unfortunate Events", and thanks go out to Chibi Fyrefly and Angel of Dreams for reviewing. More new suits will be appearing in the next two chapters, I guarantee it! Again, Please Read and Review!


	7. Chapter 6: Showdown at Armory One

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai

A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie

Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (anyone seen Phase 01: Angry Eyes yet? It's awesome, with good background music!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

**_

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Angel of Dreams: _**well, Dearka has to get his charm from somewhere right? Good to see that I have at least one faithful reader, and I will certainly try to not disappoint.  
**_King Arthur6687: _**Do you know any terrorists who give up? It definitely is a bad situation they're in, but have a little faith.  
**_Admiral Larsen:_** Never heard of you, is your fic on this site? I got the names from one of the X-Men books, with Archangel and Apocalypse.  
**_Yuugiri:_** I loved you last chapter in the Insatiable Heart. So far, my fic isn't bad.  
**_Undernet-King:_** Thanks for the background info.  
**_Yvonne: _**Thanks for the support, Sai DOES need a g/f, need to find a non-OC for him.  
**_Zeta Gundam:_** Where have you been?! Hopefully I'll think of a chapter title soon.  
**_Chibi Fyrefly:_** Definitely armed with a lot, I'll post their stats soon.  
**_Darkness is good: _**KL is definitely popular. I don't want to spoil any surprises, just keep reading and have faith.  
**_Darkness Flame: _**I've got something better planned than X10A Freedom and X09A Justice.

P.S.: Thanks for all of the kind reviews! You keep reviewing and I'll keep writing!

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**Chapter 6: Showdown at Armory One**

CE 71, December 31st

A mid-sized car pulled up to the running group with the driver's side window rolled down. The driver slowed as he approached the teens and spoke up.

"Get in before they finish dealing with those other units!" he looked no more than 20 with short black hair and brown eyes, and he looked to be at least half-Asian.

They weren't the kind of people to turn down the chance of a quick escape, especially with Lacus' current condition. They hopped in and the driver sped off even before they had all sat down properly.

"Thank you very much Mister ..." Athrun said, thanking the driver and asking for his name.

"You can call me Otto for now." He supplied them.

"We need to get to a medical center now." Kira said urgently, trying to stem the flow of blood from Lacus' side.

"They'll be watching every known place on this PLANT, so I've got orders to take you to the _Chon-Ji Tul_. Don't worry, there's a good medical bay and plenty of trained staff to help." Otto replied, attempting to assuage Kira's fears.

The mayhem being caused by the new Gundams was quickly disappearing in the rear-view mirror. Otto took a few random turns to hopefully ensure that the units wouldn't be able to track him as effectively if he was further away and not on the original course.

"So how come you were at the scene so quickly?" Yzak demanded. The others perked up to hear the answer of Otto's timely arrival.

"Heh, actually I was late. I was supposed to try to persuade you all into coming aboard the _Chon-Ji Tul_ before tonight's event, but I got lost on the way in, and by the time I got to the hall, the Gundams were wreaking havoc."

The car sped on, rapidly reaching its intended destination, the military port several miles away from the hall. The port officer sent them on their way after pausing seeing several prominent war veterans and an injured Lacus in the backseat.

Once they passed the security gates, they entered the port complex itself, and they stared in awe at the sight beheld before them. Giant spotlights were centered on a large ship, obviously the latest battleship. It was huge, at least 300 meters long, and it looked like it had three catapults to launch suits.

There were five brand new GuAIZ units lined up outside the ship, and all them were painted in different colors, their pilots were obviously aces from the Valentine War.

"There she is, the _Chon-Ji Tul_, built during the last war, but not commissioned until today. Her name means 'Heaven and Earth', and she can carry an unprecedented 10 mobile units." Otto said, driving towards the _Chon-Ji Tul's _berth.

An explosion was felt all the way in the port complex. Base personnel were scrambling around, trying to find the cause of the explosion. It was pretty obvious the enemy Gundams were responsible for it, but in what way was still unknown.

"We've got to take off and get to Armory One right away, before those Four Horsemen catch up to us. Kira, the infirmary is on level 12, I suggest you take Lacus there before joining us on the bridge." Otto said as they pulled up to the bridge connecting the port to the new ship.

They were barely half-way across when the five GuAIZ units powered up and started moving towards the _Chon-Ji Tul_. Otto smiled and waved as the units docked inside the catapult tubes. The black and dark-blue colored unit waved back before disappearing inside.

Finally, they crossed the chasm and were greeted by several petty officers. One of them offered to take Lacus from Kira, who promptly declined. The officer shrugged and lead Kira down to the infirmary as Otto and the other officers led the rest of them to the bridge to meet the captain.

-

The doors swooshed open, admitting Kira and Lacus into the infirmary. The doctor and a nurse looked up from their paperwork and rushed forward at the sight of Lacus. Kira set her on one of the tables and stood back to allow the trained staff to help her.

After about 10 minutes of examining her, the doctor turned around to address Kira.

"You got her here in time before the blood loss turned critical, but we're still going to have to surgically remove the metal, which has broken in several places. You can stay if you like, but don't get in the way." Wasting no more time, he turned around again and starting issuing orders to get Lacus prepared for surgery.

_I won't leave you again Lacus; I'll always be here for you_.

-

"I am Captain Ronald Mycholuk of the _Xephon_-class battle Carrier _Chon-Ji Tul_. You can call me Ron for short." He was at least 6"1, close to 180 lbs. had striking brown eyes and light-brown hair with blond streaks.

"This is Councilor Yzak Jule, Commander Dearka Elsman, Sub-Commander Shiho Hahnenfuss, Princess Cagalli Yula Athha, former Commander Athrun Zala and Miriallia Haww." Otto said, introducing the group.

"Weren't there two more? I thought you were supposed to bring back eight. Damnit P, if you don't listen" Ron started.

"Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne are down in the infirmary. No need to trip boy." Otto cut him off, explaining the absence.

"Captain, we have clearance to launch at our discretion." One of the crewmen announced.

"Right then, open an internal channel." Ron ordered. The crewman nodded, letting the captain know the channel was active.

"This is the Captain, today we embark on our maiden voyage, under what could be the most extreme circumstances. We are on the brink of a new war, and it is up to us, the crew of the _Chon-Ji Tul_ to stop it now. I have faith in each and every one of you, and I am confident that we will prevail. Secure out riggings for final launch."

The bridge crew bustled around for final preparations as the launch doors opened. An announcement went out to secure all stations for the _Chon-Ji Tul's _launch. Dearka looked around, taking in the similarities between this bridge and the bridges from the _Archangel_ and the _Vesalius_.

"What's at Armory One that's so important?" Yzak asked.

Ron turned and sighed before responding. "We're going to pick up a few prototypes."

_Prototypes? Why wasn't I informed of this?_ Yzak was outraged. It was bad enough that the _Chon-Ji Tul_ wasn't scrapped when the war ended, but new mobile suit prototypes? That was the worst news of all.

"Sir, port tower gives us two thumbs up to launch and wishes us luck." An aide reported.

"Right then, _Chon-Ji Tul_, launch!" came Ron's order.

There was a slight tremor as the ship was released from the docking clamps, but the engines kicked in and slowly the battle carrier descended through the launch tube built into the PLANT.

In no time, the new ship was moving away from Aprilius City and setting a course for Armory One. With the new course laid in, the _Chon-Ji Tul_ engaged their engines at full thrust, rapidly speeding away from the PLANT.

"We'll be at Armory One in an hour sir." Reported the helmsman.

"Good, keep the ship on yellow alert, and keep the sensors trained for any non-friendly suits and ships in the area. I want to know if something is gunning for us." Ron ordered. The lights dimmed a bit as yellow lights flashed every minute, showing the yellow alert status to the entire crew.

"I'm going to go check on Kira and Lacus." Athrun said, heading for the lift doors.

"I'll go with you." Milly said. Kira would always be her friend, and she had grown very fond of the pink-haired songstress.

"I'll go too, he is my brother afterall." Cagalli said, joining them and linking her arm through Athrun's.

"Might as well give in to peer pressure." Dearka said, unwilling to leave Milly by herself after the appearance of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.

"I'm staying, there's a few things I need to discuss with our good Captain here, and probably Otto as well." Yzak said.

Otto and Ron looked at each other and shrugged. "The infirmary is on level 12, take the lift and once you're on 12, follow the signs." Otto repeated.

The group left, leaving Yzak to discuss whatever he needed to discuss. Ron motioned Otto and Yzak to join him in his ready room, adjacent to the bridge. They sat down and Ron opened his hands, letting Yzak speak.

"Why wasn't I informed about these projects? As part of the National Defense Committee, I should be made aware of all new developments involving weapons, ships and suits." Yzak started off with no preamble.

"Yes you should be told when new projects are underway." Ron agreed.

"Then why" Yzak started again.

Ron cut him off. "The _Xephon_-class was developed before the war ended the same with the SF-99 series. I will let you know right now that the project heads are going to start a new MP suit project soon, using designs they recently found in an old abandoned asteroid base."

"Well so long as I receive all information on the SF-99 series and the _Xephon_-class, I will have no reason to launch an investigation on the possibility of traitors on the project teams."

Otto looked at Ron with a startled and somewhat annoyed look. Ron kept his own face passive, instead moving to sate Yzak's concerns.

"As you wish, Councilor Jule, I will have the files sent to your desk once we reach Armory One."

"So why am I here?" Otto asked, not sure as to his purpose in this little impromptu meeting.

"Because you have secrets, and I don't like allies with potentially explosive pasts." Yzak said, turning to face Otto with a hard stare.

Otto rolled his eyes in disbelief. "So go hack into my file, I've got better things to do than waste my time with you." He got up to leave.

"You're not a Coordinator, are you?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Yzak still had a few doubts.

Otto sighed and sat back down. He looked at Ron, who nodded.

"Not entirely. My mother was a first generation Coordinator, but my father was a Natural. She died when I was three, and he died during the war." Otto explained.

"You're still hiding something." Yzak prodded. "I won't tell anyone else, I'm a PLANT Councilor, not a tabloid reporter."

"My father re-married a year later with a Natural and had a daughter before becoming a minister of the Atlantic Federation. You were on the same ship as her for a few weeks, but he died in front of her eyes."

"That's not possible, you're telling me you're ..." Yzak was stunned.

"I am Daniel Pierce Alster, son of George Alster, older brother of Flay Alster."

-

"How is she?" Kira jumped at Milly's voice. He was sitting in his chair, fatigue nearly overcoming him as the doctor worked to remove all of the metal in Lacus' body.

"Doctor says he's almost done." Kira replied, suppressing a yawn.

"Why don't you take a nap Kira?" Athrun suggested.

"Thanks, but no. I promised Lacus I wouldn't leave her side anymore."

"Look, you all can't be here, I can allow two people at most in here while surgery in being performed. The rest of you have to leave now." A nurse said, shooing them out.

"I'll stay with Kira." Milly volunteered.

Dearka was going to object, but Athrun grabbed his arm and led him out, followed by Cagalli. She took a seat right next to Kira, and brushed the creases out of her dress. They were all still wearing their formal wear from the party.

Kira blinked stupidly as enfolded him in a hug.

"Lacus will be fine, trust me now get some sleep Kira Yamato." She whispered in his ear.

Sleep was so tempting to Kira, he closed his eyes for a second to think about it, and before Miriallia could react, he was asleep on her shoulder. She repositioned herself more comfortably and rested her head on his.

The nurse helping the doctor looked up for a moment and smiled. They made such a cute couple, but both of them were already attached to others. She chuckled and got back to work, following her doctor's instructions to help the poor girl on the table.

-

_Another Alster, just great, the red-head was bad enough when she was on the _Vesalius_, I still don't know why Le Crueset brought her aboard. Now I have to deal with her older brother._ Yzak was not happy at this new information.

"You're not going to go ape-shit on Yamato are you?" Yzak asked cautiously.

"Why would I?" Otto, or rather Daniel, asked.

"P, she was involved with Kira before she died." Ron said, frowning.

"At least that was her choice, not like her arranged engagement to Sai Argyle. I told my father I didn't approve of arranged marriages." Daniel said with a bit of scorn in his voice.

"Well as long as you don't try to kill him or anything rash like that." Yzak said, feeling a little relieved. He didn't like it when two of his teammates could possibly go at it at any second.

"My father's death was tragic, but he was involved in the war by his own choice, being a minister of the Atlantic Federation. I understand that he put his life at risk every time he boarded a warship. Flay's death was unnecessary, and I still grieve for her, but blaming someone who tried to protect her won't bring my little sister back."

"Just remember those words Daniel Pierce Alster." Yzak warned.

Daniel nodded and got up again to leave, satisfied that Yzak was done with him. He sighed when Yzak asked for him to wait another moment.

"What's with the secret identity 'Otto'?"

"I wanted to keep a low profile after I left home, so I assumed the name 'Ottoman Dallas'. I wanted to see what I could do on my own, without my father's shadow hanging over me."

-

"So you four failed your mission."

"The targets were identified and located, and now the entire Coordinator society knows of us." Mordecai, the pilot of the War Gundam, replied.

"But you failed to apprehend them, or kill them as your orders stated." Again, it was a statement.

"Niisan, I don't believe you had taken into account the reaction times of the security forces." Untensu, the pilot of the Death Gundam, said, trying to calm his older brother down.

"Listen Untensu, you always claimed to be a superior pilot to me, I expect the four of you to be able to deal with whatever ZAFT throws at you and still complete your mission. Perhaps I should have gone as well."

"Lord Syuu, your presence was not required; we did smash a large portion of their mobile suits." Kali, the pilot of the Famine Gundam, interjected.

"I think Hiroto is anxious to try his new toy out." Gideon, the pilot of the Conquest Gundam, said chuckling lightly.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Gideon is right. Get your Gundams ready to go; we're going to Armory One to intercept that ship. And I'm going with you in my Apocalypse Gundam." Said Hiroto Syuu.

The Four Horsemen pilots smiled.

-

"Captain, Armory One has queried us." The communications officer said.

"Send the proper codes and tell them to get the SF-99's online." Ron replied, leaning forward in his seat in anticipation.

"We've received clearance to dock; they say that only five will be operational."

"Better than none, Helmsman, take us in, one-quarter thrust."

The _Chon-Ji Tul_ slowly entered one of the docking bays in the Armory One PLANT. Ron, Daniel and Yzak were waiting for the lift to arrive so they could gather up the rest of the party and go inspect the prototypes. The lift doors opened, revealing Cagalli, Athrun, Dearka and Milly.

"Where's Yamato now?" Yzak asked irritably.

"Lacus just came out of surgery; he's making sure she's alright." Milly replied, rubbing her shoulder.

"Get him up here, we're going to inspect the prototypes and then we're going to kill those Four Horsemen." Yzak ordered.

Milly stepped back into the lift, muttering under her breath about rude Coordinators. The doors closed, sending Miriallia back down to level 12 as Dearka rolled his eyes at Yzak.

"What?" he asked.

-

Milly was still muttering curses as she stormed into the infirmary. Lacus was still sleeping with Kira by her side, holding her hand tightly. Milly calmed down at the cute sight, and gently place her hand on Kira's shoulder.

"We've docked at Armory One; Yzak wants you with the others so you can all check out the prototypes." She said softly, not wanting to wake Lacus.

Kira nodded, light kissed Lacus on her forehead and stood up.

"Can you watch her for me? I want someone she knows to be at her side when she wakes up." Kira asked.

"Of course. Now you'd better go, Yzak is really impatient."

Kira left, leaving Milly with Lacus. The brunette Natural took the time to look at Lacus. She had never seen the songstress look so fragile before. The nurse had taken the time to comb the long pink hair neatly, but Lacus' face was pale from blood loss and the surgery. Her chest was heavily bandaged, and Milly could faintly hear the doctor talking about the total length of the metal they had extracted. From what she could hear, another two inches of metal and the shard would have pierced Lacus' heart.

"You're going to be out of the action for a while, but maybe this will convince you and Kira to take a long vacation together. You're both too gentle to be involved in more fighting." Milly whispered, stroking Lacus' face.

-

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Armory One SF Lab. I am the designer of the SF-99 Series, Doctor Phillip Shayd." He was about 5 foot 10, with balding white hair and bright brown eyes.

"We've been working non-stop on the X01, X02, X03, X04 and X05 for the last month now, and they're finally ready for use. The X06, X07, X08 and X09 won't be operational for several more months, probably closer to a year." He explained, leading them to a hangar facility.

They entered and before them stood five new Gundam mobile suits.

"May I present to you the latest brain-children of all of the engineers in Armory One." It was a shock to the entire group to see five new Gundams, even to Ron and Daniel who were aware of the capabilities of all five.

"First, we have the X01, codenamed the Eternal." Phillip said, pointing to the first one on the left, painted in mostly white with blue and red on the torso area.

"Next we have the X02, codenamed the Matrix." They moved one, and he pointed out the second Gundam, painted in a medium green with black parts.

"Thirdly we have the X03, codenamed Angel." This suit was painted white with pink parts, mainly on the torso area. Its V-Fins were curved back, almost forming a gold halo above the head.

"Our next Gundam is the X04, codenamed Veritas, which is Latin for 'Truth'." The fourth suit was beige and black and carried multiple weapons.

"Finally we have the X05, codenamed Aequitas, Latin for 'Justice' or 'Equality' and essentially the brother to the X04." The X05 was painted with the same colors as the X04, but it held fewer weapons and had a staff on its back.

He turned to face his audience. "The five of you will pilot these machines, but we will need to conduct tests for the pilot of X02 Matrix." He said, looking at Kira, Yzak, Cagalli, Dearka and Athrun.

"What's so special about the Matrix?" Dearka asked.

"The X02 is a prototype in the truest sense. Some of you may have heard rumors about a powerful psychically controlled mobile suit being developed. This is our greatest achievement to date: The eXperimental Mental upLink System or XML System for short. It requires strong mental abilities and honed skills to operate it. There are no standard controls other than a few start-up buttons." Phillip explained.

"And you want one of us to master the system?" Yzak said.

"Exactly, who better to try than veterans and heroes from the last war?"

_Yeah, who better indeed?_ Dearka thought bitterly.

"If one of you is able to master the XML, it will provide the pilot and the suit with the best reflexes possible, since the commands will originate from the mind and not have to worry about using hands and feet." He continued.

"But we should hurry up and test you all before it's too late. The testing area is just over here." he led them to a simple simulator shaped and designed like a mobile suit cockpit.

Opening the simulator door, he told them how in conjunction with the helmet specifically designed for X02 would enhance brain waves and send those to the receiving end on the Matrix. Inside the cockpit was nothing but a chair with straps and a simple looking flight helmet.

Dearka volunteered first, donning the helmet and sitting inside the simulator. The hatch closed and the tan pilot started the XML system. Lights above the simulator flickered on and off, telling the spectators that Dearka was having a hard time with the system. Finally, one light turned solid green for several seconds before they all turned red and flicked off. The hatch opened, revealing Dearka who was breathing a littler heavier than usual.

"Damn that's ... hard ... to learn." He said while taking the helmet off.

"A good try nonetheless Mister Elsman. Now who's next?"

Athrun volunteered to be next, and his test was barely better than Dearka's. Athrun managed to three lights green before they all turned off. Doctor Shayd thanked Athrun for his attempt as Cagalli gave it a go. Her attempt was worse than Dearka's, none of the lights turned anything above flickering amber.

Kira went in next, and after several seconds, the lights turned green one after another. He started to concentrate and the lights turned solid. Phillip was overjoyed at this latest result and heartily congratulated Kira on his success. Kira turned to Yzak.

"Are you going to try it out?" he asked.

"Might as well give it a try, it couldn't hurt." Yzak said, taking the helmet and sitting on the chair before the hatch closed.

-

"Time until we reach the target?"

"One hour sir at current velocities, but we will be in range of their early warning systems in about 5 minutes."

"That won't be a problem; no defense they could ever mount would be enough to stop us."

"So the flight plan remains the same?"

"Yes, it is unchanged. Group A will cover us as Group B eliminates any mobile defenses. Group C will open a path for group D, who will accomplish their mission in any way possible."

"Then get the pilots on standby."

-

"Well I think we have the proper Gundam assignments now. Cagalli will pilot the SF-99-X03 Angel Gundam. Remember, Princess that the Angel focuses a little more on defense than it does offense. Next, Dearka will pilot the X04 Veritas Gundam. Now it is similar to your old Buster, but it does have a melee weapon mounted on the repeater cannon. Athrun, you will pilot the X05 Aequitas Gundam. Its beam staff is similar to dual beam sabers you could connect on the ZGMF-X09A Justice."

"_Warning, incoming unidentified vessel approaching Armory One. Bogey-1 has just passed Early Warning System. All pilots please stand-by in their respective briefing rooms for more information._" Came the warning.

"Yzak, Kira, I think both of your assigned Gundams are obvious." Phillip called to pilots running towards the briefing room.

They made it into the briefing room just before the base commander appeared on the viewscreen. The commander wasn't more than 30, but he already had thinning grey hair, mostly due to the war.

"The ship approaching us isn't a registered type used by the Earth Alliance, ZAFT, PLANT or Orb." He started.

"So we have no idea who this is attacking us?" Cagalli asked.

"I'll bet it's the Blue Cosmos, probably their elite corps, what were they called?" Dearka suggested.

"The Keshitai." Kira and Yzak said in unison. They looked at each other, surprised.

"That would be a fair assessment. They will be in firing range in less than 20 minutes. All pilots are to launch immediately. Assignments will be given once all squads have launched. Get to your suits." The viewscreen shut off.

The group looked at each other for a brief second before heading for the change rooms adjacent to the hangar bay where their Gundams were. Cagalli split off, entering the females change room.

Athrun and Dearka changed in record time, leaving the room before Kira got his shirt off. He finished changing before Yzak did; grabbing two helmets, he floated over to where Yzak was zipping up his flight suit.

"Here, this is yours." Kira said, tossing a green and black helmet towards the silver-haired Coordinator.

"Thanks, but are you sure? Doctor Shayd thought for sure you would be the pilot." Yzak said, plucking the helmet out of the air.

"I'm sure." Kira said, remembering Yzak's test.

-

_Flashback_

_Yzak put the helmet on after strapping into the seat. Immediately the lights outside the simulator burned a bright solid green. The Coordinator was amazed; he hadn't even started the system up yet._

_He put the sim through a few test moves and figured if the real thing was just like this simulator, then it really could be the most powerful weapon ever invented. Finally, he shut the cockpit down and opened the hatch._

_Everyone outside was amazed. Phillip stepped forward to shake Yzak's hand._

_"Congratulations son, I think we have our pilot. I've never seen such quick response times from anybody, Kira included."_

_"But I didn't even try that hard, it was like breathing, it felt so natural." Yzak replied._

_"That's a good thing, because when you're in the middle of a tense battle, you don't want to have to worry about concentrating on the little things. Commands should just flow from you like water from a waterfall."_

-

"Let's go kick some ass." The five pilots met up outside of the changing rooms.

They boarded their assigned Gundams and prepared for launch.

"_All units are cleared for launch!_"

"Kira Yamato! Eternal, launching!" the white, blue and red suit shot out into space.

"Yzak Jule! Matrix Gundam launching!" Yzak's mind controlled green and black suit followed Kira.

"Cagalli Yula Athha! Angel! Launching!" Orb's Princess sped off to battle in her pink and white suit.

"Dearka Elsman! Veritas! Moving out!" The first beige and black suit launched.

"Athrun Zala! Aequitas, launching!" The second black and beige suit launched, completing the Gundam launch sequence.

Several squads of GuAIZ and CGUE suits launched afterwards, forming up and moving as one. The enemy ship was in sight, and it looked like a modified version of the _Archangel_-class battleships.

"_All units be warned: the enemy ship has launched four mobile suits of an unknown type, repeat the enemy vessel has launched four unknown suits._"

Unknown to the majority of the PLANT forces perhaps, but to the pilots of the SF-99 series of Gundams, their enemy was all too familiar. The FHA-G01X Conquest Gundam, the FHA-G02X War Gundam, the FHA-G03X Famine Gundam and the FHA-G04X Death Gundam.

"The four ponies have come out to play. I say we take it to them, we outnumber them several times over." Cagalli said, ready to lay a smack-down.

"_The _Chon-Ji Tul _is launching to provide cover._"

"This is the best way to test our new Gundams. Arm yourselves, we're going in!" Yzak ordered.

Kira was armed with dual beam sabers, dual head gatter cannons, a beam rifle and a shield. Yzak had only his two beam sabers and dual head gatter cannons. Cagalli had leg mounted tri-barreled beam cannons, dual beam sabers, a chest-mounted "Lancer" energy cannon, dual head gatters, a beam rifle and her shield. Dearka was the most heavily armed, with dual high-energy beam cannons mounted above the shoulders, large rail-cannon, a rapid-fire beam rifle with a beam bayonet, and an experimental I-Field, which would block all beams. Athrun was the most balance with four head gatter cannons, a beam staff, and a "Scylla" chest cannon.

All of the Gundams feature Nuclear Jammer Cancellers and Nuclear Fission Reactors, both technologies would be banned under the new treaty.

"Hold up, there's a fifth unit launching, it's an unknown type as well." Kira said, breaking in before they could attack the first four units.

"What the hell is that?" Athrun asked, unable to make out what it was.

"That's almost 30 meters tall! Taller than the Death Gundam!" Dearka said, scanning the newest arrival.

"It doesn't look too heavily armed, but what about those shoulder mounted bazooka-type cannons? That could spell trouble real quick." Cagalli added.

"Whatever that suit is, it's too late now, we're about to join in battle." Kira said, attempting to end the speculation.

"Break by pairs and attack: Cagalli and Athrun, Dearka and Kira. I'll go solo and test out this XML in combat. Good luck!" Suiting words to action, Yzak accelerated and drew both of his beam sabers, moving in to take on the Conquest Gundam.

The War and Death Gundams moved in to attack the Angel and Aequitas Gundams as the Famine Gundam targeted the Eternal Gundam. The last unknown Gundam moved towards the Veritas Gundam.

The fight had begun.

* * *

A/N: Holy crap, sorry for the delay, but I was busy with the World of Warcraft Stress Test Beta (Open Beta starting Monday, get yours then!). Thanks for all of the reviews for my last chapter, please keep it up. Just a note: the head gatters on the SF-99 series are similar to the Igelstellung head vulcans on the GAT-X series. I'll post the stats for both sets of Gundams on my website by the next chapter and I'll have the links. Thank you again!


	8. Chapter 7: Their Return

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai   
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie   
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y ... uh ...**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (Well Phase 05 is out, and it looks like a good setup for 6), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

**_Redeye84: _**I guess 10 Gundam units is a lot eh? Shiho is off doing other jobs, that's all.   
**_King Arthur6687:_** Well, a 30-meter tall Gundam would spell trouble for anyone, and don't worry about Lacus.   
**_Darkness Flame:_** Godzilla, it's been a while since I've watched that ... but a better comparison would have been the Scorpio MS from Battlefield of Pacifists from Wing. Still not bad.   
**_Angel of Dreams: _**Of course Milly's a nice girl, but Kira and Lacus really need a long vacation ...   
**_Prince Takeru: _**I'm going to answer all of your previous reviews in this chapter. First, thanks for pointing out my errors, I always try not to make any, but some days are harder than others. No the Four Horsemen were only talking to themselves, not broadcasting on a general frequency when they dropped in Aprilius City. Kudos for getting the Star Wars reference in Chapter 3, and so far it looks like you're the only one who's wondering how Flay's half-Coordinator brother will complicate things.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Their Return**

CE 72, January 1st

The 10 new Gundam units charged each other as the year CE 72 began. Despite all of the efforts to create a lasting peace, conflict had begun anew scarcely months after the last war ended.

Dearka opened fire with his "Cycler" 70mm repeating beam rifle, spraying the large unit with destructive bolts of energy. His enemy didn't bother to dodge, dissipating all of the shots with his own I-Field.

"Damn, this new one has an energy-blocking field!" Dearka warned.

"_It's called an I-Field, your Veritas Gundam is equipped with it as well._" Doctor Shayd informed them, appearing on-screen.

"Fine then, eat rail-cannon!" Dearka fired his other main armament, a "Jackhammer" 90mm rail-cannon. The rounds passed through the I-Field and impacted on the Trans-Phase armor.

"Well jeez, he just has everything, phase-shift, I-Field and two large bazookas." Dearka muttered sarcastically.

The Conquest Gundam, piloted by Gideon, fired his beam rifle at Yzak, who was charging in the Matrix Gundam. The XML surpassed any standard control system in terms of response time, allowing Yzak to dodge everything.

Yzak swung his beam sabers, but Gideon was faster than the average Natural pilot and dodged everything, firing at the Matrix at point-blank range. It was Yzak's skill combined with the new XML that allowed him to dodge the shot and slash the beam rifle in half. Gideon swore as he unsheathed his two heat shotels and started swiping at Yzak.

The 25 meter-tall black-colored Death Gundam was missing his shield and beam cannon from his first appearance and instead had a large double-bladed beam scythe, which he wielded against Cagalli in her Angel Gundam. For her part, the Orb Princess was trying to keep the black Gundam at range and failing as her opponent dodged every shot directed at him.

Syuu Untensu, younger brother of Syuu Hiroto, closed the range quickly and swung his beam scythe at the torso of the Angel Gundam. Cagalli didn't see the attack coming and closed her eyes, preparing for the worst. She opened her eyes, and was greeted with the sight of Aequitas' beam staff holding Death's beam scythe at bay.

"You ok Cagalli?" Athrun asked quietly.

"Athrun look out!" The War Gundam was approaching fast, the 10 meter katana ready to strike.

Cagalli fired her 120mm head mounted "Lancer" cannon, forcing Mordecai into evasive maneuvers. Athrun swung the other end of his beam staff up to hit Death, but missed as the large Gundam disengaged from his attack and regrouped with War.

The sickly-green colored Famine Gundam opened fire with her 8-barreled gatling cannon, firing at Kira in the Eternal Gundam. His Eternal was similar to the GAT-X102 Duel Gundam and the GAT-X105 Aile Strike developed during the first war. Kira dodged most of the semi-wild attack, blocking some of the rounds with his shield. He fired in return, hoping to slow the onslaught, but Kali, the female pilot of the Famine Gundam, dodged by moving as little as possible.

"I think it's time to bring closure to our relationship." Kira said, holstering his beam rifle, drawing his beam saber and charging the Famine Gundam.

Kali started to back off and fired her 8 micro-missiles from the launchers mounted on the legs of the Famine Gundam. Kira targeted the incoming missiles with his head gatter cannons and the "Beamer" beam pistols mounted in the forearms of the Eternal Gundam.

Just as Kira passed through the debris left by the destroyed missiles, Kali released her 20 shoulder-mounted missiles. Reversing thrust, Kira contemplated the situation quickly. A seed exploded in his mind, and while he knew that the missiles would probably cause minimal damage to the Eternal, it would allow the Famine to set herself up in an advantageous firing position.

Quickly pouring all power into his verniers, the Gundam shot forward, closing the range between the missiles and him. Seconds before their impact he pulled left sharply, forcing the missiles to loop around to reacquire their target. Kali grimaced at Kira and fired her gatling cannon again, hoping to slow him down long enough for the missiles to reacquire and impact.

He simply raised his shield to block the hail of fire and swung his beam saber, aiming for her 8-barreled cannon mounted over the left arm. Kali activated her arm-mounted beam saber on the right arm to block the incoming attack.

"Untensu, take down that ugly pink Gundam, I'll go for the black and beige one." Mordecai said.

"Don't presume to give me orders you coward!" Untensu spat out, aiming for Cagalli nonetheless.

"My actions during the war are of the past, while I may not have helped the Earth Alliance a lot, I certainly didn't support ZAFT and their Coordinators." Mordecai replied, hurt at the younger Syuu's response.

"Well you certainly didn't try to stop that Coordinator from using Strike while you were on the _Archangel_!" Untensu was letting his anger get to him, making his attacks directed at the Angel Gundam sloppy and easily avoided.

"Yaminov!." Syuu Hiroto cut in. "Finish your arguments when Armory One is in flames, not before!

"Hai, Niisan."

"Yes Lord Syuu."

Mordecai aimed for Athrun, pulling out his 10 meter katana. Athrun warned Cagalli about the incoming units and sped forwards, reactivating his beam staff to counter the blow. The War Gundam threw a punch, aiming for Aequitas' head, but Athrun deftly caught the oncoming fist with an open hand of his own.

Athrun grimace as the War Gundam activated the arm-mounted beam saber, the blade extending though Aequitas' hand and destroying it instantly. Backing off, Mordecai grinned as he sheathed his sword and activated the remaining 9 body-mounted beam sabers: the other hand, at the elbows, knees, feet and shoulders, creating something close to a beam shield in terms of coverage.

Screaming a war cry, Mordecai accelerated and started attacking Athrun wildly. The blue-haired Coordinator was hard pressed to use his beam staff one-handed, and so brought his beam-coated shield into play to fend off more attacks. He certainly wasn't going on the offensive anytime soon.

As Mordecai relentlessly attacked Athrun, the younger Syuu homed in on Cagalli, intent on ending her life. Cagalli barely dodged the rain of blows from his beam scythe, slowly moving away from her brother and friends. Untensu was amazing at dodging her shots from the beam rifle at close range, so she switched it out in favor of a beam saber.

The two continued to duel it out, and Cagalli was slowly being worn down by the larger dark Gundam. She had scored a few minor hits on the superior pilot, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to make him even pause for a second. Untensu finally managed to slice her shield in half, forcing Cagalli to arm her second beam saber in order to keep up and stay alive.

As soon as she activated the second weapon, the younger Syuu backed away quickly. Cagalli was puzzled; if he was winning then why not keep up on the offensive? Her answer came in the form of three extensional arrestors, flying out from the legs and the right forearm and rapidly making their way to the Angel Gundam.

There was no one to help her as the remote-controlled weapons struck her Gundam, one in each leg and third destroying the head. Before the weapons had even retracted fully, Untensu was zooming towards his now-disabled enemy, beam scythe at the ready. Laughing madly, he sliced off both of Angel's arms, rendering the Gundam completely defenseless. He raised the scythe for a final attack.

"Cagalli!" Kira screamed. He had been keeping tabs on the fights, but was unable to do anything; Kali kept blocking his attacks with her single beam saber. She was fast, that was evident enough.

Yzak, however was able to send the Conquest Gundam flying with a powerful side kick to the torso. Free from his opponent temporarily, Yzak raced towards the Death Gundam, getting there in time to block the blow meant to kill Cagalli.

"What the?" Untensu said, shocked he got here so fast.

Using his two beam sabers, Yzak tried to force Untensu away from Cagalli. The pilot of Death backed away slowly, trying to judge his new opponent. The Matrix's speed made up somewhat for its lack of armaments, but it wasn't enough sometimes. Untensu was almost in the same position, currently relying on the size of the Death Gundam and its likeness to the Grim Reaper to scare enemies.

The optional parts were back on the mothership, and they included a triple beam claw tipped shield, a railcannon or a mega beam cannon to replace the scythe. However, the Death Gundam still had its three extensional arrestors, giving him a slight edge over the Coordinator-piloted Matrix Gundam.

Mordecai got back into the game sooner than Yzak liked, forcing him to deal with two Gundams. His options were few thanks the armaments he wielded, but the XML would keep him alive until the battle was over. Death moved away from Matrix and War, seeking to finish his target off.

"If I'm not thorough, then what good am I?" he asked himself, raising his beam scythe again to strike.

One of Cagalli's few remaining secondary cameras let her watch it all play out. Death raised his scythe slowly and deliberately, taunting her. As soon as it reached the peak, he reversed directions and brought it slashing down quickly, screaming "YATTA!" over the general broadcast channels.

There was a red flash as the scythe started to cut into the Angel Gundam, and then the blade of the beam scythe shut off, since it was now separated from the staff portion of the weapon. Untensu looked around to see who had stopped him again.

"Don't. Touch. Her."

Untensu finally found Kira and the Eternal Gundam, just below the remains of the Angel Gundam. He had his beam rifle in the right hand and a beam saber in the left hand. The beam shield was nowhere to be found. Untensu finally heard the emergency alarm that had been sounding for the last few minutes. Zooming in, he found the Famine Gundam floating in space, her 8-barreled gatling cannon severed, her beam saber arm floating several meters away from the main unit, which had a large slash scar across the torso. A beam saber handle was nearby, evidently Kira's first saber, now discarded in his haste to rescue Cagalli.

Sparks flew from the damaged area of the Famine Gundam as Kali slowly moved away from the battlefield using emergency thrusters. The remaining Horsemen and Hiroto pulled back from their fights to assess their situation. Each side had lost a Gundam, if not the pilots inside, but the Armory One Defense Force was rapidly approaching, having finally navigated through the debris. Hiroto knew that fighting all of the approaching Mobile Suits was possible, but that was not the objective.

"Horsemen, pull back for now. Gideon, support Kali. Return to base immediately, and do not delay if you want to live." Suiting words to actions, the largest Gundam turned away from Dearka in the Veritas Gundam and poured on all speed, fleeing from the battle.

The remaining Gundams followed, with Gideon making a quick stop to grab Kali in the Famine Gundam before increasing thrust to maximum. The Aequitas Gundam moved beside the severely damaged Angel Gundam as the Matrix, Eternal and Veritas moved out in front to ensure the enemy was in fact actually retreating.

"We won the battle, but this was isn't over." Kira said softly.

"_All units, return to base._" Came the command from the _Chon-Ji Tul_.

"Let's go home." Athrun said tiredly.

-

There were mechanics and medics were on-hand to deal with any injuries and battle damage immediately as the Gundam set down one by one. The Aequitas Gundam set the damaged Angel Gundam into a suspension unit, designed to keep damaged units locked down in case of battle. The medics were already getting Cagalli out of the cockpit as Athrun left his own.

Fortunately, she had sustained no injuries other than the psychological impact of nearly dieing. If Kira had been two seconds later, she would have died. Everyone was pronounced fit and unharmed and allowed to go about their duties, if they actually had been assigned any. Doctor Shayd was asking Yzak about the XML in combat and wanted to know all of the quirks in order to improve the second generation.

Kira went straight to the infirmary, not bothering to change out of his dark blue and gold trimmed pilot's suit. The only thing that mattered to him right now was Lacus. He took his helmet off as he was riding the lift down to level 12. Closing his eyes, he ran a gloved hand through his sweat-dampened hair and tried to remember the last time he slept.

_Oh, that's right_, he mused, _I fell asleep on Milly's shoulder for about 40 minutes. Then we hit Armory One up for prototypes and here we are now. Well at least Lacus has slept, I hope._

He entered the medical bay to be greeted by Lacus, who was awake and sitting up, Miriallia had fallen asleep, her head resting on the bed. The medical staff was conversing in a nearby room, talking about the recent battle if the phrases he caught were correct.

"Hey you." Lacus said playfully, if a little weaker than usual.

"How are you feeling?" Kira asked, lightly hugging her.

"Better now, thank you."

Kira glance over at Milly, who was still sleeping on Lacus' bed. He chuckled softly, not wanting to wake the sleeping brunette Natural girl. She moaned quietly, mumbling a few words, Dearka's name included. Kira and Lacus looked at each other in surprise, but Kira shrugged, thinking it wasn't that farfetched. Dearka burst into the room, with a frantic expression on his face.

"Kira! You've got to get up to the bridge, the Keshitai have made an ultimatum, and it involves you directly!" he said hurriedly, not noticing Milly who had been startled awake.

"Wha ... what happened?" she asked groggily.

"I'll let Dearka explain, I've got to get to the bridge." Kira said, rushing out the door, concerned what the terrorist group wanted.

"Lacus, Milly, maybe you should come also. I'll help you up." Dearka offered, still worried.

-

"Yamato, there you are. I assume Dearka told you to get up here?" Yzak said, greeting Kira once he burst out onto the bridge.

Kira only nodded, not entirely sure what to expect from everyone. Cagalli was trying to calm Athrun down off to the side of the bridge while Ron and Otto were discussing their options.

"This was a live broadcast, originating somewhere in space, presumably from their carrier ship." Yzak said, starting the recording.

"_Attention all ZAFT, PLANT and Coordinator aligned forces: we, the Earth Alliance's Keshitai, will no longer stand idly by and allow such blatant attacks to continue. A new treaty had just been forged when ZAFT remnants broke most conditions and attacked with new Mobile Suit models and a new Battleship-class. In retaliation, our elite teams attempted to disable the genocidal pilots and their powerful machines, but failed. We have decided to punish the offenders accordingly: blood for blood, there is no other way._" The man on the screen could be none other than Hiroto Syuu, the man formerly in-charge of the Port Arthur Asteroid Base.

The picture switched to a pilot inside a mobile suit, confirming a few weapons checks. The voice sounded like Hiroto again, and it was confirmed when he lauched. The picture changed again, this time to a camera on their ship which was recording the events.

It was the tall mobile suit Dearka had fought in their last engagement, the one that Doctor Shayd had said was armed with an energy-blocking I-Field. Hiroto had called it the Apocalypse Gundam when he launched.

"_Arming warhead one, target locked, confirmed safeties disarmed. Solution is final, launching warhead!_" There was a flash of light as the engine propelled the unknown warhead away from the Gundam.

A ZAFT Fleet was assembling in the distance, a mix of _Nazca_-class high speed destroyers and _Laurasia_-class light frigates and several supply transports. They were unaware of their doom as the warhead sped on unopposed and undetected.

It detonated in the middle of the fleet, sending out a massive Electro-Magnetic Pulse wave before a fiery explosion engulfed two-thirds of the fleet. More explosions occurred as the ships caught in the blast exploded. The inferno subsided minutes later, showing a large field of debris and few remaining ships, most of the disabled.

"Nuclear warhead?" Kira asked, stunned.

"One of those warheads has more power than all of the missiles used to destroy the Boaz Asteroid Base. If we got Apocalypse armaments correct, then they have one more left that could easily wipe out most of the PLANTs." Yzak said.

"_That was merely a taste of things to come. We are willing to go as far as we need to and pay any price, regardless of our own lives. We are the Keshitai, and we will preserve our Pure and Blue World. You can make things easier on yourselves and hand over the abomination that has the nerve to use the name Kira Yamato, and anyone associated with it. You have 12 hours._" The recording ended, showing that this all happened less than five minutes ago.

Kira couldn't talk; he didn't trust himself to speak, because he wasn't sure what would come out if he opened his mouth. Lacus moved up beside him, holding one of his hands in both of hers.

"Kira ..." she said softly.

_These ... these men! They are no better than Rau!_ An image of Rau's mask haunted Kira's mind. Closing his eyes tightly, he shook his head to clear the haunting sounds of his final battle and the words spoken by the evil man.

_"Humans know only what they think they know! Envy, hate, with a hand that knows only how to pull a trigger in this world!"_

"NO!" Kira yelled, pulling his hand out of Lacus' and moving quickly into the lift and leaving the bridge.

Lacus hung her head low to hold back the tears as everyone else stood stupefied.

-

A loud bang echoed through the empty corridor. Kira slowly floated backwards from the force of the punch he had thrown against the wall. His arm was still slightly cocked as it shook with anger, rage, surprise, sadness and almost every other emotion humans are capable of feeling.

He brought his arm back for another strike, screaming in rage and pain as let loose with the powerful blow.

"I wouldn't advise that." A female voice said, surprising Kira.

He pulled his punch short, but his momentum flipped him head over heels and ended up throwing him against the wall he was aiming for.

"Ow, advise what?" Kira said, rubbing his head.

"Taking your anger and pain out on a metal wall. In my experiences, it usually ends up with more anger, a bruised fist and possibly more. Talking is a much better way to solve things." Shiho explained, floating up to Kira, who was now starting to twirl.

"Yeah, sure talking is a great way to solve things, but it never lasts more than a week. The treaty was all talk until now, and now its dust in the wind." Kira rebuked.

"I assume you saw the ultimatum." Shiho said.

His emotions boiled up again, but he managed to contain them in time. Nodding an affirmative, he slowly flexed his hands, trying to relieve the tension he felt. Taking a deep breath, he finally calmed down enough to talk properly.

"Yes, I saw the ultimatum."

There was silence as Shiho looked at Kira expectantly. Kira was confused; he'd answered her question and didn't know where she was going with this. He raised his eyebrows to visibly show said confusion. Shiho finally caught on that Kira wasn't going to say much more.

"And?" she prompted.

"And what? I assume you've seen it so I don't have to explain it to you, because it would be a waste of time." Kira said, frowning.

"I don't need you to explain it to me; I want you to talk about it. This is the whole 'try-and-solve-it-by-talking' thing." She clarified.

He sighed in frustration. Finally, he relented and started.

"Just when I think that everyone has forgotten about the Mendel Colony projects, someone goes and brings it up again. Every time this happens, I'm afraid for those I care about. Hiroto has demanded all of my friends along with me. I'm not afraid to fight to protect what I care about anymore, but I'm afraid for those I care about. The last thing I want is too see someone hurt because of me." He started.

"Cagalli, Athrun, Lacus, Miriallia, Sai, you, even Dearka and Yzak; all of them I don't want to see get hurt. I know I can't protect everyone and everything all of the time, but I can try." He continued.

"But sometimes one person has to take matters into their own hands, regardless of the cost, and hope that the end was worth the means. I believe that the Keshitai are using a skewered version of that statement to justify their attacks." He finished.

"And so what are you going to do about the enemy?" she asked, wanting to see if he had changed.

He lowered his head, his brown hair covering his eyes and upper part of his face. After a moment of deliberation, he looked up again, straight into Shiho's eyes. She gasped as she saw his eyes, pupil-less, having crystallized into seed mode.

"I'm going to kill them all."

-

Ron and Otto called the other pilots and Lacus and Milly into the briefing room to discuss their options. Ron had sent for spare uniforms for Milly and Lacus, so they could change out of their formal wear and hospital clothes. Once the two girls had changed, they all took their seats around the table.

"So we know now that their newest Gundam is codenamed the Apocalypse Gundam, and it's capable of at least one more nuclear attack. It's fairly obvious that their target will be as many PLANTs as possible." Ron said, explaining the situation.

"We will gather what's left of the fleet to make a stand against the Keshitai. The _Chon-Ji Tul_ will head up the fleet and lead the attack to stop them from using the second nuclear warhead. Right now we probably have more suits than pilots, so I wish to ask you all if you will fight." Otto continued.

_We have no choice but to fight!_ Patrick Zala's words echoed through Athrun's head as he listened to the senior officers of the _Chon-Ji Tul_ try and outline a plan.

"I'll fight." Athrun said, earning looks from everyone in the room.

"Me too." Yzak said, supporting his former squad leader.

"Count me in." Dearka added, always ready to lend a helping hand.

"I'll go, but I think the Angel needs more repairs." Cagalli volunteered.

"Then it's settled. Now where's Kira? He disappears more than P does." Ron asked.

The door opened and the group turned, expecting to see Kira. It was Shiho, out of breath, standing there with a very worried look on her face. Athrun and Lacus stood up.

"We have a problem." Shiho said.

-

"Kira Yamato, Eternal, launching!" The Eternal Gundam screamed out of the hangar bay and shot off into space, blasting away at full throttle.

"Where's Kira?!" Athrun demanded, just missing the launch.

"He just launched, said he had special orders from Captain Mycholuk." The technician replied, closing the hangar doors.

"Damnit, get the Aequitas ready to fly, I'm launching now. Otto, tell Captain Ron about this ..." Athrun started towards his suit, but turned to address Otto.

But Otto wasn't there.

"Aw, damnit." He cursed.

The hangar doors reversed direction with no warning, opening again to allow a suit either to launch or to land. A dark blue and black GuAIZ unit stepped onto the foot launchers and quickly shot off into space, following the Eternal Gundam's tracks.

"Whose suit was that?" Athrun asked, turning back to the tech.

"That was Commander Otto's, sir. It's his personal customized suit."

"Continue with my orders and get the Aequitas ready for launch please." Athrun said again, turning to change into his pilot's suit.

"And get the Matrix online." Yzak said, coming out of the lift.

"And the Veritas." Dearka added.

Athrun smiled lightly, and was joined by his old comrades.

-

Kira's proximity alarm beeped as his sensors detected four mobile suits launching. Two of them were over 20 feet tall; they had to be the Death and Apocalypse Gundams. The other two were quickly identified as the War and Conquest Gundams.

_I guess the Famine is down for repairs, much like Cagalli's Angel Gundam. Still would be a fair fight, four on four. But this is something I need to do alone._

Another proximity alarm went off, alerting him to an incoming friendly suit from behind.

_What the? That's not a Gundam, so who is it?_

"Identify yourself!" Kira demanded.

"You should know who this is, Kira Yamato." Otto replied, arming his weapons.

_Great, they send someone in a GuAIZ to die. Just great._

"Go back to the _Chon-Ji Tul_, I don't want anyone to die out here today." Kira said, arming his own weapons.

"_Where I fight, I fight alone, where I walk, I walk alone_. Most fighters adopt that as their motto, unwilling to let anyone care for them. But you have people who care about you Kira, and they know, and I know, that you care about them. Your friends need you Kira, more than ever now." Otto argued.

"That is why I'm doing this, because they need me." Kira replied, targeting the Conquest Gundam first.

"They need YOU, not your actions! You're getting into a fight that you have no chance of winning, and you know that! Now pull back!"

_Too late!_

A massive blast lit up space, as the Death Gundam fired his Mega Beam Cannon at the incoming suits.

* * *

A/N: Whew, how long was that, more than a week? Again, the World of WarCraft Beta test (now in Open Beta) has been eating at more of my time, and combined with work, left me with very little time for anything else. But here it is an update for my faithful readers! Please, Read and Review, and don't be afraid to constructively criticize.

P.S., anyone know how to spell "stop it" in non-kanji Japanese?


	9. Chapter 8: Decisions

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (holy crap to Destiny Phase 6!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

**_transmobilesuit: _**thanks for the information  
**_King Arthur6687:_** Poor Kira, always taking on the impossible (he's not Mu!)  
**_Chibi Fyrefly:_** I didn't even think about both of the women pilots being taken out of the action, I'm sorry, don't worry; I'm not a sexist man.  
**_Angel of Dreams: _**I'm fairly good with action scenes, at least so far.  
**_Prince Takeru:_** thanks for the e-mail, I replied back. A good heart can do more than evil men know.  
**_cherri-chan:_** I may be able to write action, but I lack a little in the romance department. Any pointers from any readers I'll gladly take. I always seek to improve anything about myself. Thanks for the romanji.  
**_RVD: _**Good question indeed, what IS Kira going to do? But would you let one of your friends fight by himself/herself against stacked odds.  
**_ZetaGundam:_** Where have you been! Yes, I got into the WoW Beta (now over btw). About 20 of the core of the Fratres in Arma (my guild/outfit for various games) was in it. We all died to the Burning Legion at the end. I have some screenshots, e-mail me if interested. Naming conventions, well the _Chon-Ji Tul_ is the screen-name of a guy I know, and the Aprilius Null is based off the PLANT naming conventions (each month and a number, null zero). I'm good at the battle scenes, but imo lacking a bit in the romance department.

And thanks to all for the Romanji!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Decisions**

CE 59, October 3rd

_"Big brother, why are you leaving?" a little girl asked._

_"Because I can't stay here any longer." The big brother replied, sad that he had to leave._

_"Mommy and daddy aren't mad, are they?" she asked._

_He laughed, she was so innocent and naïve, as most kids her age were. Then he sighed and dropped to his knees to hug her._

_"I'm going to miss you. Don't do anything bad, okay?" he said, still hugging her._

_"Okay." She replied, trying to hold her tears in._

_"I'll come back in ten years."_

_"You promise?"_

_"With all of my heart."_

_-_

_"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?" an older man yelled._

_"We've checked every where sir, and he's nowhere." A man replied, frightened by the anger._

_"Check again!" he stormed off, looking for his daughter._

_An hour later, some of the men came back with a note to show to the father. He read it very carefully before tearing it into pieces._

_"I have no son." He said, shaking with rage._

_-_

CE 69, July 17th

_Where are you, big brother? You promised in ten years you'd come back to see me._

_The girl, now ten years older, was going to apply at the Heliopolis Industrial College next year. Everyday she looked out her window, looking for a familiar face, her big brother._

_Her father had gone on a rampage, destroying everything to do with the boy, pictures, documents, report cards, anything and everything. She had managed to whisk a picture of him to safety in her room before her father had finished._

_Her mother died while flying from Earth back to Heliopolis, the shuttle she was on was attacked by extremists, demanding more freedoms and rights for the PLANTs. The young girl had cried, now she had lost her brother and mother._

_The days went on, and soon it was CE 70. Her college days would soon be starting, thanks to her good grades and her father's influence. Her older brother had still not returned by the time September rolled around._

_The girl stood outside the front doors to the Heliopolis College, staring at the last remaining picture of her brother. Sighing sadly, she tore it up and went inside to get on with her life. Maybe she'll meet someone there, who knows?_

_-_

CE 71, May 5th

_"Excuse me, I'm looking for…" the man started to ask._

_"Oh my god! You're back!" she interrupted, overjoyed at his return._

_"Yes, I'm back, and I'm looking for my sister." He managed to say._

_"I'm afraid she's not here."_

_"Well if she's not here, and Heliopolis isn't there, then where is she?"_

_"In the Earth Alliance forces." Came the reply._

_Oh great, Flay, why did you do that?_

_-_

CE 72, January 2nd

_Flay, even to this day, I still can't believe you signed up in the Earth Alliance._ Otto's thoughts were cut short as the Death Gundam fired his Mega Beam Cannon. Kira had dodged to the right, using the Eternal Gundam's speed to his advantage.

Otto's GuAIZ was a custom job, outfitted with extra vernier thrusters for added thrust. He barely escaped the deadly blast, pulling sharply upwards. His vidcomm activated, showing a picture of Ron's head.

"P, the three other Gundams have launched along with the rest of your squad. Best speed projects the Gundams being at your position in two minutes with the GuAIZ in five minutes."

"Roger that. Kira, did you catch that? We're retreating now." Otto replied, ordering Kira to pull back.

"Right, you retreat and I'll hold them off." Kira replied.

"Stop being a stubborn asshole Yamato, you're worse than Yzak! Disengage NOW!" Otto ordered, his temper flaring almost out of control.

"You have no authority over me, you may do as you please, but I'm acting ALONE!" Kira retorted.

That got Otto fuming mad.

"Kira Yamato, so long as you use PLANT property, you are to follow their codes of conduct, which include following orders from a superior officer. Now fall back to the _Chon-Ji Tul_." Ron said, apparently he had been listening.

"Sue me." Kira said harshly, cutting the link and ending the argument.

_What the hell has gotten into him? From the reports Zala and Jule submitted, Kira shouldn't be like this! Maybe Lacus has some hold over him still._ Otto pondered.

Ron had the same thought. He asked Lacus to intervene as the leader of the Clyne Faction and as a close friend of Kira's. She agreed immediately, donning a headset and sitting in front of a comm terminal.

"Kira, why are you doing this? It makes no sense!" she started.

"I'm doing it to protect you Lacus, you and the others." Kira replied, his voice now in a normal tone.

"But you don't have to do it alone! You're not alone anymore Kira, remember?" Lacus pleaded.

Images of him and Lacus cuddling together various times, their passionate kisses sprang up in his mind. More images of his friends, Athrun, Cagalli, Milly, Sai, everyone followed. _They are why I fight, I fight to protect THEM!_

"I know I'm not alone, and I'm grateful for it, grateful for knowing you, but right now this isn't the best time to be discussing this!" the Conquest Gundam had reached melee range and started swinging his shotels.

"Please, come back to me Kira." Lacus pleaded again, not knowing what else to say.

Kira loosed a battle cry, startling Lacus, who believed it was directed at her. A quick look at the radar and viewscreen dispelled that belief; Kira had blocked both shotels with his own sabers.

The War and Death Gundams moved in to flank Kira and trap him in a pincer move to end the resistance quickly. Otto screamed his own battle cry, charging the Death Gundam at full speed. Untensu rotated and prepared his Mega Beam Cannon, an upwards slice from Otto's beam claw shield took care of that threat, splitting the cannon into three pieces.

The younger Syuu narrowed his eyes as he ejected the useless remains and activated his own triple-beam claw. Otto barely blocked the powerful attack, and he knew that neither Kira nor he would be able to fight like this for much longer. Fortunately, the other Gundams were en route, with less than a minute to go before they caught up.

But a lot can happen in sixty seconds. The left arm of Otto's GuAIZ was suddenly several inches further away than it should have been. Sparks jumped from each severed end, and the War Gundam and his 10-meter Katana was there.

"Kono!" Otto yelled, bringing his right arm, which held the beam rifle, into play.

Untensu sliced that arm off with his triple-beam claw, and Otto knew his was a lot of trouble now. As a last ditch effort, Otto fired his extensional arrestors, hoping to do some damage to either of the enemy Gundams. The Death Gundam barely moved, allowing the weapon to pass by with an inch to spare, and then sliced the cord connecting the weapon to the Mobile Suit. Mordecai in the War Gundam took a more direct approach, slicing the incoming weapon down the center, sending the two halves flying harmlessly into space.

Otto was now out of weapons, options and almost out of limbs and life. Kira couldn't help at all; he was being pressed by the Conquest Gundam and the giant Apocalypse Gundam.

"Say goodbye, little fly." Untensu said, raising his beam claw.

Just as he was about to bring it down on the defenseless GuAIZ Otto was piloting, a crimson red and blue beam shot through space, forcing Untensu to halt his swing, lest he loose the arm and weapon. Looking up, he saw the Aequitas Gundam swooping in, beam staff ignited and ready.

"Mordecai, take care of that one while I finish off our little friend here." Untensu ordered.

Mordecai didn't respond with words, instead the natural pilot moved into an attack position and heft his katana in a threatening manner. Athrun sighed heavily, and started on the offensive, hoping to distract the War Gundam long enough for the rest of the Gundams to help out Otto and Kira.

Athrun swung and slashed at his opponent, pressing his opponent and hoping to find an opening to deal a crippling blow. But Mordecai parried and blocked better and faster than Athrun would have believed, which put both pilots into a stalemate. Finally, the War Gundam took advantage of a quick lapse in attacks and managed to slice the beam staff in half.

"Ha! Now what will you do without a beam weapon?" Mordecai taunted.

The beam staff deactivated when the sword had sliced the handle in half. It was a clean cut, slicing it directly into equal halves. Athrun frowned for a second, and then smiled as he threw one of the handles away. Mordecai narrowed in eyes in expectation, but gasped in surprise as his enemy activated the other handle with no problems.

"You were saying?"

They started another match, both of them using a two-handed fighting technique with their swords. The technique may lower their speed, but it greatly increases the power behind each blow, and if one blow connected, it would do massive damage. It was finding a weak spot that both pilots had trouble with.

Kira was faring worse than Athrun was, the Apocalypse Gundam may have been the largest Mobile Suit in existence, but it was fast and powerful, and in the hands of the calmed Hiroto Syuu, more than a match for the angry and rage-filled Kira Yamato.

Ranged beam weapons were of no use against the Apocalypse's I-Field, and the Eternal's head gatter cannons didn't have enough penetration power to even scratch the Trans-Phase Armor. Lacking options, Kira was wielding his dual beam sabers against his enemy.

Hiroto had ordered Gideon in the Conquest Gundam to back away and allow the older Syuu to battle his most hated enemy. The devastating atomic bazookas were 'sheathed' in the sense that they were not active on the Gundam. Kira knew better that his enemy would waste a powerful attack on a single mobile suit.

That information didn't stop his ass from being handed to him. Hiroto blocked every attack from Kira and always reversed their rolls, sending the young Coordinator on the defensive against Hiroto's own devastating attacks.

Their duel came to an end when Hiroto back-kicked the Eternal in the torso, stopping the charging Kira in his tracks. Taking advantage of the momentary lapse in concentration, he brought one of his beam sabers down to slice half of the Eternal's head off, taking with it most of the head camers.

Now half-blind, Kira had no chance to block the slices that left his beam sabers useless with their tips cut off. Finally, Hiroto brought a saber to a halt mere inches from Kira's cockpit.

"And now you die." Hiroto said calmly to Kira, preparing for the final blow.

"Wait Lord Syuu." Mordecai cut in, transmitting on the Horsemen's channel only.

Untensu sighed in frustration, believing that Mordecai would never forget the past properly. Hiroto paused for a second, allowing Mordecai to charge forward.

"Perhaps it would be more beneficial to take Yamato as our hostage, that way we can lure his friends in with less trouble."

"That's the best idea I've heard you come up with in several months, young Mordecai." Hiroto praised.

Gideon and Untensu were shocked! Hiroto was actually going to go along with Mordecai's ill-conceived plan. Hiroto switched his comm unit back to a general frequency.

"Shut down your phase shift, sheath your saber, and open your cockpit and surrender. If you don't comply within 30 seconds, we will be forced to extract you, and I can't guarantee your safety with the second option." Hiroto broadcasted.

"You'll kill me either way!" Kira yelled back.

Hiroto swung his saber, letting the tip plunge into the Eternal's armor, and dragged it down, creating a big scar on the Gundam. He brought it back to its previous position.

"Well, you can die a painful death as all of the liquid in your body boils off while not being able to breathe right now or you can take your chances inside our brig. It's your choice." Hiroto replied, still calm.

"If I surrender myself, do you promise to leave the _Chon-Ji Tul_ and the people inside alone? Do you promise that no harm will befall them from your hands?" Kira demanded.

Lacus and Athrun were shocked. What the hell was he trying to do?

"Kira no! Don't do it, please!" Lacus said her voice full of emotion.

"Yamato! You have no authority to make deals with the Blue Cosmos!" Ron cut in.

Kira didn't bother to reply to Ron, he kept his attention on Hiroto. "Well, do we have a deal?" he pressed.

Hiroto was laughing, of all the things he had thought of, Kira making a deal to try and save his friends wasn't one of them. "I accept, Kira Yamato."

The phase-shift on the Eternal shut down as the saber was placed on its re-charge rack. Kira opened the cockpit and floated towards the Apocalypse Gundam. Hiroto extended the left hand to grab Kira while the Conquest Gundam moved in to take the Eternal Gundam.

A blast from Athrun's Scylla Mk. II chest cannon stopped the Blue Cosmos mobile suit as the remaining PLANT suits finally made it to the battlefield. The Apocalypse Gundam started to pull back and was flanked by the War, Conquest and Death Gundams.

"Damn it!" Yzak swore, mad that he was unable to do anything to change the outcome of the battle.

Dearka and Athrun moved to retrieve Kira's abandoned Eternal Gundam and the group of Gundams and GuAIZ, including Otto's trashed unit, set a course for home.

-

There were armed guards waiting in the hangar bay, waiting for the arrival of their new prisoner. The Apocalypse Gundam set down and shut down, following the Death Gundam, and followed by the Conquest Gundam and last, the War Gundam.

The guards bound Kira and had him surrounded, their rifles aimed at him. Hiroto was waiting by Kira, his helmet removed. Untensu joined his brother and removed his helmet. Kira stared at the two, finally realizing why Untensu had sounded familiar, he was Hiroto's brother.

"You … you're his brother!" Kira said.

Hiroto chuckled as Untensu stepped forward and punched Kira in the face.

"Of course, a Coordinator wouldn't know what it's like to have family that actually look related, would he?" his voice was full of anger.

Kira growled in anger as he attempted to charge at Untensu. A sharp jab to the ribs from one of the guard's rifle stopped him and sent him into a kneeling stance. By now, the other two Gundam pilots had joined the Syuu brothers.

"What's going on?" Gideon asked.

"It's just a little discipline for our prisoner." Untensu replied, itching to start pounding on Kira.

Kira looked up to see the new arrivals. Hiroto and Untensu he already knew, Gideon looked to be Muslim in origin, Kali had arrived to the hangar bay to see the pilot who had damaged her Famine Gundam, she was remarkably pale compared to the dark-skinned Gideon and the Asian Untensu and Hiroto. Finally, the pilot of the War Gundam stepped forward, Mordecai. The name was Hebrew in origin, but the pilot was distinctly Caucasian in origin. Something in Kira's mind clicked together, putting another piece of a puzzle he didn't know he was working on in place.

"Kuzzey?"

-

"Where's Kira? Why couldn't you stop him! Kira!" Lacus was hysterical, ineffectively beating on Athrun's chest, taking out her anger.

"Lacus, I'm sorry." He apologized softly.

"Why did he leave? Why did he leave me? Why!" she demanded, crying loudly.

She clutched Athrun's flight suit and cried on his chest for a long time.

-

Athrun, Dearka, Yzak, Cagalli, Shiho, Otto and Ron gathered again in the briefing room adjacent to the bridge. Ron sighed heavily before starting the discussion.

"It's obvious now that we're short one pilot." No one replied.

"We do have some good news; the SF-99-X03 Angel Gundam is being repaired, and will be operational in about 6 hours." Again, no one spoke.

Ron relented and sat down. Looking around the table, he saw mostly depressed and downcast faces.

"How's Lacus doing?" he asked quietly. That got a response.

"She cried herself to sleep. She doesn't understand why Kira surrendered, and neither do we." Athrun replied, looking at Ron.

"I don't think any of us can possibly understand what Kira hoped to gain by surrendering." Otto put in.

"Is anyone watching over her? In this situation, I don't believe it's wise to leave her unattended." Ron asked.

"Yeah, Milly's with Lacus." Dearka replied.

"I suggest that you all take a break while I contact Aprilius City to inform them of these new events. Once I receive my orders, we will reconvene and find the best possible way of finishing this. Until then." Ron stood up and left, Otto following close behind.

Yzak and Dearka were loitering around the bridge, waiting to hear the results as soon as they came in. Shiho wandered off somewhere in the ship while Cagalli and Athrun went to check in on Milly and Lacus.

The couple neared the room that was assigned to Lacus and Kira just as Miriallia quietly stepped out and closed the door.

"How is she?" Athrun asked, keeping his voice low.

Milly motioned for them to follow her, and she led them down the hall, several meters away, just in case their voices carried.

"She's sleeping again; she woke up screaming Kira's name. I know Coordinators don't get much in the way of sicknesses, but I think Lacus is running a fever." Milly said.

"She just came out of surgery, and now she's stressing out over Kira, so I think it's highly possible she may have caught something. Even Coordinators have their limits." Athrun replied.

"I don't think she'll be well rested when she wakes up again, especially if she wakes up like the last time. Maybe some pills would help …" Cagalli suggested.

The three thought about for less than three seconds when Lacus groggily walked out of her room. Cagalli turned around when Milly had sharply inhaled. Athrun relaxed a bit and walked over to Lacus.

She didn't react much when he stopped a foot short from her. Athrun got a close-up look of her face. Lacus' eyes were puffy and bloodshot from crying, her hair was a tangled mess from not brushing it after waking up, and there were lines on her face and arms from the pillows and blanket on the bed.

"How are you feeling Lacus?" Athrun asked politely.

Lacus turned to face him and raised her head so their eyes met. _How do you think I'm doing?_ She thought silently, betraying none of her roiling emotions through her eyes. _The man I love decided to go on a suicide mission and surrender to try to protect me._ Lacus cocked her head to the right to peer past Athrun, perhaps checking just to see if Kira had returned yet. She was disappointed when only Cagalli and Miriallia were standing at the end of the corridor.

The pink-haired Coordinator cocked her head the other way, stared at Athrun for another moment in silence, and finally turned on her heel and walked towards the lift. The doors opened with a silent swoosh, admitting Lacus in. And then the doors closed, leaving a confused Athrun, Cagalli and Milly standing there.

-

Shouts of anger and frustration could be heard from Ron's office. Yzak was leaning against a wall, with his arms crossed, waiting for the PLANT council to authorize a plan. Dearka was slowly twirling in space, bored out of his mind.

_Damn, I should have gone with Athrun to see Lacus and Miriallia_. He thought.

"Incoming transmission!" the comm officer yelled.

Otto was there in an instant, donning a head set and standing in front of Ron's chair, fulfilling his duties as the second-in-command and mobile suit pilot. The screen came to life, showing a close-up of Hiroto Syuu.

"_Good day gentlemen and ladies. You must all be aware by now that we have captured the experiment known as Kira Yamato. As a gesture of good faith, I will extend your deadline back up to 12 hours. You have 12 hours to deliver Kira's companions and friends. I have with me a list of all known associates: Athrun Zala, Lacus Clyne, Cagalli Yula Athha, Miriallia Haw, Sai Argyle, Dearka Elsman, Yzak Jule, and Shiho Hahnenfuss._"

"Do you really think we'll bow to your demands Syuu?" Otto demanded, shaking in anger.

"_Not really, but do remember that I have the power to wipe out all the PLANTs from existence whenever I choose. And just to keep you entertained …_" the camera zoomed out, revealing the room to be an interrogation room.

Kira was strapped to a chair, bloodied and bruised. There were three men and a woman standing over him, each taking their turns. One of them turned to face the camera, and judging by his looks, he was related to Hiroto.

"_If you don't turn the aforementioned people in, then you'll only make it harder on yourselves. And him._" To emphasize his point, he slugged Kira across the jaw.

"_You'll have to forgive my brother; he does get a little carried away at times. But his point stands, you have twelve hours._"

The line remained open, and the enemy pilots untied Kira, stood him up as well as they could, and took turns viciously beating him across the room. It went on that way for over 20 minutes, until Hiroto turned to the camera and spoke one last time.

"_Twelve hours, or all of PLANTs will die._"

Finally, the line was broken and the images of Kira being beaten on disappeared. Otto turned to face Yzak and Dearka, and finally noticed that they had arrivals during the Keshitai's transmission.

Lacus was still staring at the spot where the video feed had been, and behind her was Athrun, Cagalli, Miriallia and Shiho, all speechless at the display of senseless violence. Ron exited his briefing room and pulled the group into the briefing room again.

"I've got more bad news; the High Council is refusing to have anything to do with the Keshitai. They don't seem to understand that in less than twelve hours there will be a nuclear warhead on its way to kill them all."

Yzak shook his head in a mixture of anger and disgust.

"However, they haven't ordered us NOT to do anything about the present situation, so we have window of opportunity, however small it may be, and we have to seize it now."

"What are we going to do? Suit up and destroy their ship?" Cagalli demanded.

"Not exactly, our four remaining GuAIZ pilots will escort an assault shuttle that will contain an elite boarding team. We're going to get Kira back and hopefully sabotage the ship to force their suits to launch early. We'll launch our Gundams when they launch theirs and intercept the Apocalypse Gundam before it gets within firing range of the PLANTs."

"And who will this 'elite' team consist of?" Yzak asked.

"Any volunteers, but Otto will be leading the group in. We'll be starting the operation in 40 minutes." Ron got up and left.

"So who's in?" Otto asked as the doors closed.

"I'm in." Athrun said confidently.

"Me too, he's my brother." Cagalli agreed.

"We never leave a man behind." Yzak said.

"Well there was that one time with me, but never again." Dearka was in.

"You've sold me." Shiho nodded.

"Kira's always protected us, from the collapse of Heliopolis up until now, and I think we all owe him one." Milly explained. Dearka looked at her in surprise, but nothing he could say would change her mind.

"Kira may have given up on himself, but I haven't. I'm in." Lacus added. That got looks from everyone, but she was just as determined as the rest.

"Then it's on."

* * *

A/N: Wow, that ended up being a little longer than I expected. World of WarCraft retail release date: November 23rd. Current day: November 22nd. Status of : down for maintenance. Of course, if you're reading this, then I'm probably online with my outfit, and is back as well. Please, Read and Review, and don't be afraid to e-mail me if you have any questions.

For Gundam specs, check out these two 


	10. Chapter 9: The Countdown Begins

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (Phase 7 has a new Lacus song 'Fields of Hope')however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine. _

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

**_

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_**

_**Angel of Dreams:**_ Thanks for the compliments; hopefully this chapter didn't take as long  
_**C-town Chica:**_ Yeah, Kuzzey was planned from Chapter 1  
_**Chibi Fyrefly:**_ Hehe, didn't think Kuzzey was going to cause so much confusion  
_**cherri-chan:**_ Yes, Kira is an idiot, but I didn't think romance was that easy … starts to write more romance … hopefully_**.  
RVD:**_ The next few chapters will most likely be intense, with all that needs to be done  
_**Prince Takeru:**_ well, the "two" referred to two urls that contained the specs, but apparently Fanfiction doesn't like links. I've reposted them at the end of this one. Mordecai is Hebrew meaning Warrior, or War-like, both suited to the War Gundam_**.  
Firedude328:**_ that was a short review, but it was positive. Thanks

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Countdown Begins**

CE 72, January 2nd  
11 Hours Remaining

"_Team Alpha, commence final checks for departure._"

"This is Alpha Pilot, checks in progress, over."

"Alpha Gunner, checks in progress."

"Alpha Lead, all checks in progress."

The competent crew of the assault shuttle _Star Hawk_ was finalizing their checklists, preparing to take their assault teams to board the enemy ship. Just the same, the all-volunteer assault units were conducting their final checks of their own equipment and weapons.

The battle armor issued to the team was the newest prototypes out of Armory One as well. Fully sealable in case of atmosphere venting accidents, the armor also had built-in communications systems, both voice and typed. The suits were gold with a blue trim around parts, such as some of the helmet, torso, arms and legs.

There were two pistol slots on the hips, a knife slot on the lower back and two rifle slots on the upper back/shoulders area. Thruster packs were standard and built in to provide less confusion and a smaller target during battle.

Possibly the only downside of the suits was the ability to easily distinguish between a grunt soldier and a high-ranked commander. Otto's suit, because he was the leader, had specialized forearm and shin guards.

Athrun was designated a squad leader, and his suit had the forearm guards. Yzak was another squad leader, and was set apart by the shin guards. All of the suits had a forearm mounted mini-keyboard, to silently type out commands or reports, which could alert the squad to any traps, but not risk their voices being overheard.

The standard weapons issued to the squads were an NC-MA1 Gauss Rifle, a TR-SA2 Repeater Pistol, a VS-SA0 Force Blade knife, 2 CP-SA3 Fragmentation Grenades and a VS-HA1 Lasher shotgun.

Of course, it would be Lacus' and Miriallia's first times firing live firearms, so the two ladies were given crash courses on how to handle weapons and where to aim on the enemy. The rest of the team familiarized themselves with the new weapons.

Finally, the assault team was assembled. Leading the platoon and the primary squad was Otto. The secondary squad was headed up by Yzak, and the tertiary squad was lead by Athrun. Each squad was 10 members, leader included, making a full platoon of 30 armed men and women.

Otto stepped in front of the assembled troops to speak.

"Our primary mission objective is the rescue of hostage Kira Yamato. Secondary objectives include the sabotage of the enemy ship and the mobile suits onboard, particularly the Apocalypse Gundam."

"Unfortunately we have no information of the capabilities and layout of the enemy ship. That is why squad one will attempt to hack into the computer's central database to pinpoint Kira's location. I expect heavy resistance every step of the way, and so should the rest of you."

"We have been armed and armored with the latest weapons and armor developed. The egg-heads back at Armory One are anxious to see their suits and weapons in combat. As much as I hate to field-test everything, these new inventions may give us the edge we need. Any questions?"

The soldiers from the _Chon-Ji Tul­_ had none to ask, the same with the ZAFT veterans. Otto looked at Lacus, Miriallia and Cagalli almost expectantly, and after a few seconds, moved on.

"These people have declared a genocidal war on all humankind, whether they meant to or not. It's up to us to stop them, and we will not fail!"

Cheers erupted from the assembled troops. The order to board the shuttle was given, and they ran, still cheering.

"_Star Hawk_, you are cleared for launch. Good luck and Godsend, to you all."

"This is _Star Hawk_, launching now."

The black assault shuttle launched, followed quickly by the four custom GuAIZ units.

-

10 Hours Remaining

It had taken the crew of the _Star Hawk_ 30 minutes to locate their target, and another 15 minutes to decide the best way to approach it. In the end, it was decided that the _Star Hawk_ and their escorts would hide in the shadow of a large asteroid, and attack when the ship passed over them.

Everyone was apprehensive as the enemy ship seemingly inched closer. Finally, the time was almost right.

"They'll spot our heat corona soon." Shiho warned as the ship passed overhead, blocking out the sun.

"No, they won't have a chance." The pilot responded.

Otto opened a line to the GuAIZ. "Hit it!"

In response the four custom GuAIZ ignited their banks of verniers and quickly rushed past the close-in weapons systems mounted on the enemy ship. Precision bursts of fire knocked sensors and weapons systems.

The _Star Hawk_ accelerated after the ship, sneaking in through the large blind spots in the sensor grid. The assault shuttle matched velocities with the carrier and fired off docking clamps and a boarding tube.

"Pressure equalized, assault teams are a go!"

Charges blew the hatch off its hinges, allowing the 30 elite troops to spill into the ship. Crewmembers rushing to their stations paused as intruders boarded their ship and opened fire.

"There! Terminal, no more than 5 meters to the left." Otto called out.

Two electronics specialists came forward, nimbly avoiding the bodies, and started to hack into the central database. 30 seconds passed and there was an audible ping as the computer opened its secrets for all to see.

They wasted no time in downloading the locations of Kira's cell, the engines, power generators and the full specifications of the enemy's Gundams. Yzak took his squad to destroy, damage or disable the engines as soon as they got the information.

"Athrun, take your squad to get Kira. I'll lead mine to take out the generators. Remember that you'll likely meet heavy resistance." Otto ordered, splitting off from Athrun's group to head down a different corridor.

Athrun's squad consisted of himself, Shiho, Dearka, Cagalli, Lacus, Miriallia and four former covert ops soldiers. He never did get quite adjusted to the fact that Lacus was wearing combat armor instead of a dress and wielding a high-powered rifle instead of a microphone.

From a distance, they all looked the same, but up close; you could see the differences in height and build. But no one really had to worry about telling the soldiers apart, the new radar system kept tabs of who was where and how their armor was doing.

The face-plate on the helmet was small enough that it covered the eyes and the bridge of the nose and not much else. The rest was all densely-packed armor and equipment.

Athrun's squad rounded a corner, jetting away and moving to find the cell block Kira was in. Unfortunately Milly took a wrong turn was didn't check her radar to find out where the rest of her squad was. She heard footsteps from down the corridor and sighed in relief.

But it wasn't Athrun, or Dearka, or even Lacus. It was five of the ship's crewmen, all carrying pistol side-arms. Both Milly and the five men paused in surprise at the sight of each other. Something clicked in Miriallia's mind, and she swung her Gauss rifle up and pulled the trigger. The kickback was more than she was ready for, and the laws of physics propelled her backwards. Miraculously she held onto the powerful rifle, still holding the trigger to send out magnetically-accelerated rounds that indiscriminately hit the walls and crewmen.

Two of them went down immediately while the other three dived for cover. The sounds of bullets being fired stopped and only a faint clicking sound was heard. She realized it was herself pulling the trigger repeatedly in a vain attempt to fire more bullets.

The three surviving crewmen smiled at each other and grabbed their pistols. Slowly and deliberately, they took aim at her, taking their time to finish off their helpless prey. Everything went in slow-motion as three shots were fired, one from each man.

Something gold and blue intersected itself between her and the bullets, firing in return and downing the men. Finally, she looked at the small radar screen on the upper-right hand portion of her helmet.

"Dearka!" she almost screamed.

He turned around to face her, showing her his now cracked faceplate. Grunting, he pulled it off. It was then she saw the impact spots of the other two bullets, both centered in his chest armor. She pulled off her own helmet to make sure what she was seeing was true.

"Whew, this armor is better than I gave it credit for. Are you alright?" he asked her, complementing the armor.

She stood stunned for several seconds, and then pulled him in close to kiss him full on the lips.

-

This certainly wasn't the best week of Yzak's life, but it wasn't necessarily the worst either. Nothing came to mind immediately about what could be worse than finding out some genocidal bastard wanted to nuke all Coordinators and had the power to do so, but Yzak was sure that something worse had happened before.

Not that he cared much in his current situation. His squad had barely made it down three levels when they ran into some fierce opposition, led by one of the Gundam pilots. Judging from the 20 minutes he had watched them beat the living crap out of Kira, it was Gideon, the Islamic pilot.

Just as the Conquest Gundam featured two large shotels, Gideon himself wielded dual blades, which most likely explained why he was assigned to his unit. Not that that mattered either. After trading rounds with each other with no effect, Yzak finally grew tired of it all.

Stepping back, he threw his Gauss rifle away and swung his Lasher around. There was a distinct cocking sound as Yzak screamed in rage and opened fire on his enemy, pumping the semi-automatic. It seemed like a wall of shotgun fire formed in the air, thanks to the rapid-firing shotgun. Those not able to duck fast enough were blown back by the powerful weapon Yzak wielded.

Not wanting to accidentally hit their own leader, the rest of Yzak's squad resumed firing with their more accurate Gauss rifles, sending more rounds flying. They moved forwards as one, slowly but surely gaining territory.

Finally, the resistance ended, giving the squad a quick respite as Gideon ordered a temporary retreat to meet up with reinforcements. They quickly reloaded their weapons and pressed forward once more, seeking to finish their mission as quickly as possible.

On the way down, Yzak sent out a typed message to the rest of the platoon, warning them about the possibility of the other Gundam pilots leading squads as well. Two short affirmatives came back, one from Otto, the other from Athrun.

-

Shortly after Yzak's warning came through, Otto found out first hand the ferocity of fighting against a Gundam pilot. The pilot of the Death Gundam, younger brother to Hiroto Syuu, was leading the squad that Otto's squad stopped cold in their tracks.

It was an even fight, 10 versus 10, but the defenders had a territorial advantage, and they could call in more troops to help. But the generator room was within their grasp, barely 30 meters beyond the defenders.

Then he noticed three defenders holed up in a doorway. It was the perfect opportunity for grenades to shine. Or explode. He type out a message.

_Three, four, arm grenades, target is doorway on the left._ Two acknowledgments came back as two fragmentation grenades went sailing past the bulk of the people fighting and detonated less than a foot from the huddled defenders. The explosion killed the three and sent at least three more flying.

Otto's team began to push forward again, gaining meters and approaching their objective. Syuu's squad seemed to disappear as Otto and his men entered the generator room.

They all paused at the sight of 20 armed men pointing rifles at them.

"Oh shit."

-

Athrun had gotten Yzak's warning about the Gundam pilots leading resistance squads, but he had yet to encounter any resistance. Dearka had gone off to save Miriallia, but it had cost him his tactical helmet. The brunette natural was still a little scared but otherwise unharmed.

Surprisingly there were no guards stationed at the brig, despite Kira being held there. Athrun would have assumed that Hiroto would have posted at least one, but perhaps the leader felt secure that Kira couldn't escape in his condition.

The door to Kira's cell slid open. Kira was shackled to a wall, his face bloodied from repeated beatings.

"Kira!" Athrun called out.

Kira flinched at the sound of his name. Looking up, he saw soldiers in gold and blue combat armor, wielding unknown weapons. Then one of the shorter men stepped forward and removed his helmet.

Long pink hair spilled out from underneath the helmet, and Kira realized it was Lacus. She stepped forward, slinging her rifle behind her, and looked for a way to release Kira. Finding none, Athrun grabbed his Repeater pistol, warned Kira and Lacus and fired two shots, one for each chain, and leaving Kira only with bindings on his wrists.

He floated in the zero gravity, now free of his bindings. Lacus gently hugged him, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to hold in her tears. Finally, Kira reacted to Lacus' presence and gingerly moved his arms and returned her hug.

Athrun smiled as the two lovers were reunited and happy again. An explosion rocked the ship and the words '_Secondary Mission Objective Complete_'flashed on their helmet screens.

"We've got to go; Yzak has taken out the engines on this ship." Athrun ordered, holstering his pistol and grabbing his Gauss rifle.

"We're going home now Kira." Lacus whispered, smiling as she supported Kira. Cagalli put Kira's other arm over her and they started out of the cell.

-

'_Tertiary Mission Objective Complete_'. Athrun's squad had found and rescued Kira. Only Otto's squad had yet to report in. Making his mind up, Yzak opened a channel to Athrun.

"I'm taking my squad to find out what happened to Otto. Get your squad back to the exit point and secure it until we rendezvous with you." Yzak ordered, signaling his men to move onto the generator room.

"Roger that, and good luck." Athrun cut the link and informed his own squad of the changes.

It concerned Yzak greatly that Athrun's mission had been so easy, while Otto was missing and four Gundam-pilot led squads were on the loose. His squad was the closest to Otto's last known position, and was the least burdened between his and Athrun's squad.

They neared the generator room, and Yzak saw ten golden numbers appear on his proximity radar. Halting his squad, he listened carefully for any signs of opposition. What he heard came from inside the room.

"Coordinators are the bane of all humankind. They are nothing more than weakness incarnate." A man was saying.

"That is why we chose to purify as many as possible. We do so with a heavy heart, sending so many to their graves without a chance at redemption."

_What the hell is this guy spouting off?_ Yzak wondered.

"You're all nothing more than sick, demented bastards!" Otto angrily replied.

"Such language Mister Dallas is neither needed nor wanted." The first voice said.

_They know his full alias, but I wonder if they know his true identity?_

"Bite me."

Peering past the corner, Yzak saw Otto's squad arranged in a 5x2 arrangement, five wide and two deep, standing in front of at least 20 armed men, arranged in a semi-circle for more angles of fire.

Otto's squad was still in possession of their weapons, a mistake the crewmen would soon regret. Yzak's squad switched their Gauss rifles to semi-automatic and spread out quietly, taking aim at the people pinning Otto's squad down.

Yzak began a quick countdown.

_5_

"If there truly is a god that you all believe in, then he will never forgive you." Otto warned.

_4_

"We are prepared to pay any price necessary to ensure the survival of humanity." The man replied with no conviction in his voice.

_3_

"Then I hope you'll enjoy your early flight to hell."

_2_

"What?"

_NOW!_

Gunfire erupted from Yzak's squad as Otto's squad dived to the floor for cover. From their new positions, they joined in and opened fire, downing the remaining men. Yzak's squad moved forward, guns trained on the floating bodies just in case some were pretending. Otto stood up and turned to face Yzak.

"Thanks." He said.

"We've got to get back to the _Star Hawk_; Zala's team is already on their way back."

"Well, at least you got the engines on this ship." Otto said, turning.

"Back to the _Star Hawk_!" he ordered.

-

8Hours Remaining

"How is he doing?" Athrun asked, referring to Kira now strapped to a medical bed with Lacus sitting near him.

"Recovering slowly. Most of his ribs are cracked or broken, he has numerous cuts and bruises and he has a concussion." Lacus replied, gently stroking Kira's face as he slept on.

"Wait, why are you wearing your flight suit?" Lacus asked, noticing that Athrun was wearing the black and beige flight suit.

"The rest of us are going out to finish off that ship and the enemy Gundams. That was the plan, to disable the ship and take out the Apocalypse before it could reach firing range of the PLANTs." Athrun replied.

"Now?" she asked, plainly distressed.

"We're going to launch and then Ron is pulling back to form up with the remnants of the fleet. I don't know if we'll be able to stop them in time, but I'll be damned if I don't try." He turned to leave.

"Athrun!" she cried out.

He turned to face her again.

"Ki wo tsukette." She said quietly. He nodded in return and left.

-

"There you are Zala!" Yzak called out, tossing Athrun his helmet.

"Thanks." He said, catching the helmet and securing it on his head.

"We sortie in two minutes. Be ready." Yzak warned, and floated off to the Matrix Gundam.

"Don't worry, I am." He muttered quietly.

Athrun checked a few gauges and readouts before he heard the order to launch. Kira was usually up first, but he was too injured to fight. Yzak's voice rang in loud and clear.

"Yzak Jule! Matrix, IKUZO!"

"Angel Gundam, launching!"

"Dearka Elsman, Veritas, going out!"

"Athrun Zala! Aequitas, making a sortie!"

The four Gundams launched in a do or die mission to save all Coordinators.

-

If there was one thing Dearka absolutely hated, it was the spare time before a fight started. It left too much time for brooding and negative thoughts. Or at the very least, it allowed distracting thoughts into his head.

Such as the events that happened during the escape from the enemy ship.

_Lacus and Cagalli continued to carry Kira along. It seemed that wherever they touched him, he was in pain. The beatings he had endured in his short time aboard this ship were astounding. Dearka trailed behind them, keeping an eye on their retreat, ensuring that no one tried to sneak up on them._

_But even from behind, he could see several of Kira's internal injuries; just from the way he tried to shift himself into a less painful position. Several of his ribs were either cracked or broken, probably resulting in a bit of internal bleeding as well._

_Whenever he tried to speak, his voice would literally croak out the words, his throat was so parched and sore, most likely from the torture sessions he had endured._

_Finally, several words formed a cohesive sentence._

_"Milly … there's something … you" he paused as he gathered his breath and strength. Even talking caused him pain, and he coughed up some blood before attempting to continue._

_"What is it Kira?" Milly asked, concerned._

_"It's … Kuzzey. He's … one of … them." He finally managed to say._

_The entire squad paused as this news hit them. The four covert ops soldiers didn't know the significance of that sentence, but the rest of them did._

_Dearka had seen the little kid while he was an Earth Alliance prisoner. Kira and Miriallia knew him from their youths. Cagalli had met him after the _Archangel_ landed in the desert. Athrun had heard a few stories from various crewmen about the kid._

_"He's … a Keshitai?" she asked, not really wanting to know the answer._

_"The pilot … of the … War." Kira replied before coughing up more blood._

_"Rest easy pal, you've had a rough time." Dearka said, putting his hand on Kira's shoulder._

_"Conserve your strength Kira, we don't know how badly injured you are." Lacus agreed._

Miriallia had brooded on the _Star Hawk_ as it flew back to the _Chon-Ji Tul_. Dearka finally confronted her about it just after everyone else had exited.

_"So … did you want to talk about it?" he asked her. Initiating conversations about a friend-turned-traitor was a little harder than it seemed._

_"About what? The fact that one of my last surviving friends decided to join a group bent on wiping out all known Coordinators, starting with another one of my friends?" she spat out, her voice raised in anger and confusion._

_"Fine, I'm sorry." He replied back sharply and turned on his heel._

_"Dearka wait!" she said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back to her._

_She hugged his neck tightly before continuing._

_"He's never like Coordinators that much, and he never trusted Kira too much after finding out about his origins, but I'd never thought he'd go this far."_

_"He's chosen a path that will only lead to his own death; it's not your fault."_

_She held onto him until he had to launch._

"Milly" he said to no one, "I know he's your friend, but if he tries to hurt you, I will kill him."

"Dearka!" Yzak's voice broke into his thoughts, and he was grateful.

"What?" he snapped irritably.

"Just making sure you're concentrating on the proper things."

In reality, Yzak was trying to focus his mind as well. His thoughts wandered and usually ended up at the same place.

_Yzak was walking out of the change room and he was alone. Shiho exited hers, now in her standard uniform. He felt a little bad that she wasn't going out with them, but she adamantly refused to touch the Eternal Gundam, and there were no other unclaimed suits onboard._

_"I do wish you'd reconsider Shiho. It helps when you have a teammate who can anticipate other people's moves." Yzak said, trying one last time._

_"Dearka can anticipate you well enough, the same with Athrun, and I'm sure Cagalli can anticipate his moves. I'd say your team is solid." She declined again._

_"There's another reason you aren't going to come along." Yzak said, narrowing his eyes at her._

_She laughed and moved closer to him. "Maybe there is, but I won't tell either way."_

_They slowly inched together, bringing their faces mere inches apart. _Speaking of anticipating moves _Yzak thought. Before the moment could disappear, Yzak closed the gap and kissed her on her lips. His council-aide and former war-time subordinate returned his kiss._

Yzak was interrupted by the noise of his proximity alarm and an incoming message from Athrun.

"They've launched all five of them. Orders?"

"Stick together, and don't get separated from each other. The main target is still the Apocalypse, everything else is gravy." Yzak reminded them.

Four magnified images popped up on his HUD. Yzak noted that the Death Gundam was missing his mega beam cannon and beam-claw shield and instead held its dual beam scythe.

Yzak grabbed both of his beam sabers, but didn't ignite them. He quickly performed one last check of the XML system, and then shifted his full attention to the oncoming suits.

"Attack!"

-

The battle was shown all throughout the _Chon-Ji Tul_, because it was a battle that could easily decided the fate of Coordinator society. Milly, Lacus and Shiho were on a couch in one of the pilot's briefing rooms watching it all play out.

The enemy ship was faintly visible in the far background, but it was silhouetted when it fired its several banks of Gottfried cannons. The destructive energy beams completely missed the fighting mobile suits. Shiho suddenly gasped.

"Get down! Those shots are aimed at us!" she warned.

Too late, the beams impacted on the ship's armor and a few other ships close by. The _Chon-Ji Tul_ rocked before the pilot stabilized their course. Lacus got up with an alarmed look on her face.

"Lacus, where are you going?" Miriallia asked, still on the floor.

"To Kira." Was her reply before the doors shut.

She made it just outside the medical bay before another salvo of beams impacted, sending her flying. Lacus finally stopped and righted herself. Stepping in front of the door again, she opened it and ducked inside to get to Kira.

Lacus stopped several feet from his bed. He wasn't there.

"Oh no." she said quietly.

More beams hit the carrier ship, delaying her actions. _I've got to get to the hangar bay, I'll bet anything that he's there now._ She thought.

Finally the rocking lessened as Ron ordered the fleet to disperse formation and take on a wider form. Shots from the ZAFT ships could be seen from the viewports and vidscreens. Hopefully the enemy ship would back off or at least lessen its assault.

The hangar bay was devoid of people, with the mechanics and technicians sent to other areas of the ship to help with damage control. Lacus was about to turn and leave, figuring Kira was possibly on the bridge when she noticed something. And it wasn't a good thing either.

The SF-99-X01 Eternal Gundam was gone.

* * *

A/N: Well, did that take longer, or was it sooner? Good number of reviews despite the bad days FF had. If anyone bought WoW retail, I'm playing on the Eastern Coast server Earthen Ring, it's an RP server. Add 'Syuu' to your friends. Please Read and Review! 

(re-post of those Gundam spec urls)  
http:(slash)(slash)www(dot)geocities(dot)com/prayerreverie/FHA(dot)html  
http:(slash)(slash)www(dot)geocities(dot)com/prayerreverie/SF99X(dot)html  
change the (dot) to '.' and(slash) to '/'and enter that in your browser's address bar.


	11. Chapter 10: Pain

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (Yuuna is a dick in Phase 08!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

----

**_Angel of Dreams:_** yeah, Lacus in armor is a weird thought; I've got pics on the way of the exact battle armor and weapons. Fluff is always a must, especially with the popular couples.  
**_RVD:_** Something's never change is right. 'Let this end the conflict' … seen Destiny yet?  
**_C-town Chica: _**Everyone needs to kick some ass in their lifetime. Surprises all around eh?  
**_Prince Takeru:_** lol, 'leave a note'. I promised myself I wouldn't spoil anything.  
**_cherri-chan:_** I assume you meant to put "can" instead of "can't". I've got to find a link to her profile, hope someone can read Japanese.

**-----**

**Chapter 10: Pain**

CE 52, January 2nd  
8 Hours Remaining

"Apocalypse Gundam will be in firing range in less than 8 hours at their current speed." A sensor officer warned.

"How nice of them to accommodate the time limit." Ron replied sarcastically.

"Do you really think we can win?"

"We don't have a choice."

-

The fight had been a stalemate up until now, with neither side doing more than shooting at each other from range. Only for brief moments had they actually engaged in melee combat.

"Yzak, this isn't going to work! We can't penetrate the I-Field and Phase Shift while at range, and the other four Horsemen won't let us engage in melee combat!" Athrun warned.

"You think I don't know that?" Yzak yelled back, dodging more blasts from the five Gundams.

"We can't even engage them one-on-one without letting one unit slip by!" Dearka said, very frustrated.

_We need a better plan; we need more time, more people! Goddamned Keshitai!_ Yzak could barely contain his rage. The XML system received the anger stemming from Yzak and fed it into the Matrix Gundam. The black and green Gundam flashed its eye cameras, almost evilly.

Yzak's world took on a red hue as the XML amplified his rage ten-fold. The silver-haired Coordinator was barely aware of his thoughts as he charged the Conquest Gundam. Gideon fired several times while backing away from the charging Matrix.

One of his beam sabers sliced through Gideon's beam rifle, and as the two halves of the rifle separated, Gideon grabbed his two heat shotels from his back-mounted rack. Yzak blocked the attack designed to slice the suit in half and swung his legs up, connecting with the Conquest Gundam's jaw.

Yzak's beam saber arced overhead and came down, ready to slice through his enemy, but Gideon managed to parry the blow and thrust his second shotel forward, aiming for the Matrix's cockpit.

The son of Ezaria Jule twirled his suit inside and past the incoming blade and found himself inside Conquest's defenses. Gideon barely reacted in time, firing his Igelstellung Mk. II CIWS and doing nothing to faze Yzak. An evil smile was plastered on his face as his beam sabers followed his evasive twist and sliced the legs and head off the Conquest Gundam.

Stopping his momentum, Yzak floated in space for a second before bringing his sabers back into a ready position and plunged both into Gideon's cockpit. Flanked by two high-energy weapons, Gideon was vaporized as his battery reactor exploded, destroying the rest of the suit.

The explosion cleared, revealing the Matrix Gundam, floating in space with both sabers still activated. He turned to face the other enemy Gundams and saluted with his right beam saber.

"Gi … de … Gideon!" Kuzzey/Mordecai stuttered out.

"That bastard will pay!" Kali nearly screamed.

"It's time for a new plan." Hiroto spoke. "The three of you will fight and contain those Gundams, I will use the booster pack to enter firing range. Hold them off the short time it will take me to get in range and victory will be ours no matter how many of us die!"

"For a Pure and Blue World!" the spoke in unison.

Yzak's world suddenly returned to color and he realized he was breathing harder than usual. In fact, he could barely feel his arms and legs. _What the hell was that? It almost seemed like Zala's 'seed' mode he described to me, but I don't remember him talking about a red hue and extreme exhaustion afterwards._

He didn't have much more time to dwell on his thoughts, the four remaining Gundams charged forward. The Death Gundam targeted Cagalli's Angel Gundam, intent on finishing the job he started. Mordecai in the War Gundam swung his sword at Athrun's Aequitas Gundam, missing every time but forcing the pilot away from his comrades.

Kali settled on vengeance from Yzak. She rapidly fired her beam gatling cannon, tracking Gideon's killer as he avoided the shots. Hiroto assumed that all of the Coordinator allied forces were accounted for and activated his booster pack, sending the gigantic suit off towards the awaiting PLANTs.

"NO! He's moving in to destroy the PLANTs!" Athrun yelled.

"He's mine!" Dearka accelerated after the rapidly accelerating Gundam.

Athrun evaded another swipe from Mordecai's sword and kicked his seemingly skill-less yet persistent and annoying enemy away. _I won't let my home be destroyed, not again!_ He moved to support Dearka and chase after Hiroto. Mordecai stopped his attacks for a second, halting himself and assessing the situation.

There was no humanly way possible that those two Gundams could catch up to Hiroto before he reached firing range, and there wasn't much sense chasing after them when it could turn into two-on-one. Better instead to turn the odds on their allies and fellow pilots.

Suiting his thoughts to actions, Mordecai moved to help Untensu fight Cagalli, much to the Asian pilot's annoyance. As much as Untensu hated Kuzzey, he also made no move to stop the coward. The younger Syuu realized that the end of all Coordinators was above petty rivalries between fellow Naturals.

Mordecai threw his 10-meter katana away and flew in close to Cagalli. She turned and fired her leg-mount tri-barreled "Pulsar" beam cannons at the Conquest. Laughing maniacally, Mordecai crossed his forearms and quickly snapped them outwards, igniting all ten of his built-in beam sabers.

Beams of energy hissed to life from his wrists, elbows, shoulders, knee-caps and feet, allowing the traitor to block the incoming beams and charge forward. Cagalli inhaled sharply as she activated her "Energist" system in the hopes that it might block the beam sabers.

She didn't get a chance to find out, with her back turned, Untensu charged in his Death Gundam, his double beam scythe held above his head, ready to strike again. The scythe swung down and Cagalli's alarm went off.

"Athrun!" she called out before the scythe connected, and then she knew of nothing else.

-

"New estimate on Apocalypse's firing solution, 30 minutes at current speed." The sensor officer reported.

Ron and Otto looked at each with worried looks. Ron spoke first.

"That's not enough time."

The lift doors opened, stalling Otto's response. The two senior officers turned to see their new arrival, it was Lacus. She was very calm and collected as she floated out of the lift, allowing the doors to close.

"Can I help you Miss Clyne?" Otto asked, stepping forward to meet her.

"Have you seen Kira?" she asked politely, gazing at Ron and Otto alternately.

"Last I heard he was recovering in the infirmary from his wounds suffered at the hands of Hiroto's Keshitai." Ron replied from behind Otto.

"He has since disappeared, along with the SF-99-X01 Eternal Gundam assigned to him." Lacus curtly informed them.

"That's impossible; there were no launches after the X02, X03, X04 and X05." Ron disagreed.

"That doesn't change the fact that he and his mobile suit are missing from this ship, where they were last confirmed." Lacus was starting to lose her cool, she was getting nowhere with these stubborn officers.

"Apocalypse will be in firing range in 26 minutes." The sensor officer interrupted.

Recent events flashed back into Lacus' mind.

_Lacus stood on a walkway, staring at the Eternal's empty space. There were no obvious signs of forced exit, but Kira was smart, if still injured. But the more she thought about it, the more it saddened her._

_Finally, it got too intense and she curled in a ball, floating in the zero-gravity environment of the hangar bay, her knees hugged tightly to her chest as she buried her head to hide the tears that flowed freely._

_Then, a thought hit her like a barrage of missiles. Otto, Ron, the bridge. Steeling herself, she shook away her tears and headed for the bridge, intent on finding the answers she sought._

"Where is Kira?" Lacus asked again, this time with more force in her voice.

"Otto, escort Miss Clyne off the bridge and back to her room." Ron ordered, turning around to resume watching the battle being waged for the fate of all Coordinators.

Otto moved to gently guide Lacus by her shoulders but she shrugged him off and asked again.

"Where is Kira!"

Her eyes filled with tears as Otto picked her up and carried her into the lift. She started to cry as the lift doors closed.

Ron sighed sadly and shook his head, and then turned back once again to the battle ahead.

-

Athrun was halfway between Dearka and Cagalli, chasing down the Apocalypse Gundam with the intent on destroying it before Hiroto could launch his remaining nuclear missile.

"Athrun!" Cagalli screamed.

"Cagalli." He said quietly, fearing the worst.

He whipped the Aequitas around and sped off to help Cagalli, who now had Untensu's double beam scythe embedded in the torso of the Angel Gundam.

"CAGALLI!" he yelled in rage, and increased his thrusters past their limits.

Mordecai moved to intercept Athrun's mad charge, re-igniting all of his beam sabers and halting Athrun's mad dash. Untensu pulled his scythe out and sparks flew from the Angel Gundam.

"Kali, go support your Lord and defend him from that artillery suit." Untensu ordered, rotating in space to face Yzak and the Matrix Gundam.

"He's your lord as well Untensu Syuu." Kali spat back, following her orders nonetheless.

The intense barrage Yzak had been dodging suddenly stopped as the Famine Gundam ignited her thrusters and started to chase after Dearka and the rapidly dwindling form of the Apocalypse Gundam.

_He is not my lord if I am superior_ Untensu glared and accelerated to meet Yzak head on. Beam sabers and the beam scythe met in a clash of energy as their thrusters were pushed to their limits, vying for an edge.

"You may have murdered Gideon in a brutal manner, but I am not so easily taken!" Untensu yelled on an open channel, allowing Yzak to listen.

"You're one to talk about murder? You and yours intend to commit GENOCIDE!" Yzak yelled back

"For the greater good, for all of humanity, and for a Pure and Blue World!"

The two Gundams backed off for a split second and then charged each other again.

-

Dearka was losing ground rapidly to the Apocalypse Gundam. The thruster pack on the gigantic Gundam more than doubled his normal top speed, and it seemed like it had infinite running time.

An alarm went off in Dearka's cockpit, and a magnified image of the Famine Gundam behind him appeared. Kali was chasing after him and aimed her 6-barreled gatling cannon at him.

The rounds did nothing to him, whatever his own I-Field didn't block, the phase shift would. The only weapon capable of damaging him was a beam saber. With his N-Jammer Canceller, Dearka was virtually invincible.

Unfortunately, so was Hiroto. And the Asian man was armed with the nuclear missile. _How much longer until the end of my world?_

-

"15 minutes." Was the short report from the sensor officer.

"It's in the hands of those kids now." Ron whispered gravely.

The officer turned in his chair to face Ron. "Do you think we should have told her about the plan?"

Ron was momentarily confused at the quick and sudden change in topics, but his brain quickly caught up, allowing him to answer coherently.

"If I didn't inform our steadfast PLANT Councilor of the plan, what makes you think I'd tell Miss Clyne?"

"Because it would be the compassionate thing to do. I mean, her and Kira are together … I think." The officer said, frowning.

"This is war, and in war we must do things that may go against our moral fiber. Besides, do you really want Yzak on our case for telling her and not him?"

-

Lacus had regained some of her composure as Otto took her back to her room. Her crying had quieted down, and now very few tears were being shed. There was the occasional sharp intake of breath, but to Otto, it appeared as if Lacus was ready to start another round of questioning.

"Whatever your plan is, I don't care right now. What I want to know, did you and Ron coerce Kira into all of this?" she stopped and faced Otto, boring her crystal blue eyes into his dark brown eyes.

He sighed and dipped his head a few inches before replying.

"A man called Jonathan Kozel once said long ago 'Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.' None of us have that luxury right now. This battle is bigger than anyone thought it would be, making it matter even more and giving us no choice but to win. Ron knew this, I know this, Kira … Kira knows this."

"Kira chose his own path, none of us could choose for him. He volunteered, knowing the inherent risks, and now we have to play the cards we're dealt."

His answer seemed to satisfy Lacus, at least for the moment. He was about to resume leading her back to her room when they locked eyes again.

"Did we really have a choice?" she asked quietly.

"We write our own destiny, we become what we do." He spoke softly.

-

"God damn you, get out of my way!" Athrun cursed.

Kuzzey was doing an excellent job in keeping Athrun away from Cagalli's damaged suit with his ten beam sabers. Athrun couldn't go on the offensive for very long before Kuzzey would start on him.

Yzak and Untensu were dueling in the background, neither of them doing any damage to each other. The blue-haired Coordinator wasn't too concerned about them, Yzak could take care of himself, at least he hoped.

"So if the rumors are true, then Untensu killed your girlfriend." Kuzzey taunted over a general broadcast channel. Athrun caught every syllable.

"Pity he had to kill a Natural, but that's what happens when you join forces with a Coordinator." He continued.

"You were Kira's friend! How can you betray him like this?" Athrun demanded, seething with rage.

"I gained a new perspective after ZAFT fooled the Earth Alliance into attacking Orb. It was one of those foundation-shaking epiphanies, you know, it was like having your father shoot at you."

Athrun didn't know if that last phrase was meant to mock him even more or not, but it drove his rage and fueled it to greater heights. Screaming in anger, he charged at Kuzzey.

The Natural pilot blocked the overhead slice with his wrist-mounted beam sabers, crossing them and creating an 'X'. Snorting in disgust, he kicked at the Aequitas Gundam, the foot-mounted beam saber aimed at the cockpit.

Athrun's shield intervened itself between the weapon and its destination, and for a second the two suits did nothing. Then Athrun quickly backed off several meters. Twirling his beam staff in one hand, he charged forward again, aiming a slashing cut at the side of the War Gundam.

Kuzzey sighed, muttering something about retards piloting mobile suits and blocked the attack with his elbow-mounted saber. Seeing an opening for an attack to end the fight, Kuzzey thrust his other arm forward, the wrist-mounted beam saber poised to strike.

The former Justice pilot smiled grimly as he ducked underneath the attack and appeared mere centimeters from his enemy. Kuzzey quickly boosted away, firing his second generation head-mounted CIWS defenses. The bullets would have done little to him if he hadn't had his phase-shift activated; they did nothing with the armor turned on.

A memory popped into Athrun's head, and he quickly seized the initiative. He threw his arm-mounted shield at the War Gundam, which was still backing away. Inhaling sharply, Kuzzey sliced at the shield his one of his sabers. The beam weapon hit the beam-coated side of the black and beige shield and sent it back to Athrun at a greater velocity.

Quickly positioning himself, Athrun kicked the shield, his foot just catching the handle that attaches to the arm, sending the shield once more at Kuzzey. It impacted on the War Gundam's left shoulder, doing minimal, if any, damage but it left its pilot vulnerable to attack.

Jetting forward, sliced off the War Gundam's left arm at the shoulder, taking out three of the ten beam sabers and leaving a big gap in his defenses. Kuzzey's surprised expression turned to anger as he boosted forwards as well, slicing off Athrun's right leg at just above the knee.

His balance thrown off, Athrun barely realized another attack was incoming, and thus didn't defend himself from the diagonally angled attack that started at the top of the neck and exited out just below the right shoulder. Fortunately, he missed the cockpit, it was still airtight, but Athrun was now minus an arm, the head, all of his weapons and most of his cameras.

_Cagalli, I've failed you, I've failed PLANT, I've failed my duty._ Laughing loudly, Kuzzey watched as several connections short-circuited, disabling the phase-shift armor that protected the pilot against most forms of solid weaponry.

"Mordecai! Stop playing and help me deal with this bastard." Untensu ordered.

"You, calling me, for help? How the worlds have changed." Kuzzey said laughing as he sped off to assist his teammate against Yzak.

-

Numbers counted down inside Hiroto's cockpit as he neared the PLANTs and firing range. When he hit 10,000 meters, he armed the powerful nuclear warhead and began to slow down.

The range scrolled down, less than 5000 meters to go, as he acquired his target. It was an old-fashioned target acquisition sequence, with two red reticules starting out at either side of his screen, and slowly making their way to each other as he closed the range, slowing down but still moving quickly.

The reticules were more than half-way across the screen when he disabled the safeties on the warhead. There would be no going back, not if they wanted a Pure and Blue World.

With just over a thousand meters to go, the end of all of the PLANTs was mere seconds away. Finally, the reticules settled over each other and a tone sounded in his ears, signaling a clean lock.

Smiling, he depressed the trigger, sending the devastating nuclear warhead flying toward his targets. More numbers started to count as the warhead closed in on its detonation point.

"Tobe! Fly and kill all those unworthy." He whispered as the warhead neared its destination.

And then there was a large explosion.

-----  
A/N: I know, it's shorter than usual, but the next chapter will be longer. There were few reviews for the last chapter; I assume it was due to the technical difficulties the site was experiencing. Questions, comments, put them in a review or e-mail them. Please Review.


	12. Chapter 11: Living on a Prayer

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (uh … Lessons was made to fit in with Destiny, I think just after Phase 6 or 7), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

**_Angel of Dreams: _**Hopefully this chapter will lay your fears to rest.  
**_Prince Takeru:_** eek, apparently everyone is against Kira dying. Good.  
**_redeye84:_** ZAFT vs Gundams …. Not a fair fight.  
**_C-town Chica:_** Geez, no one wants the heroes to die … but how will I write a good story?  
**_RVD: _**What is to come? Read the following chapters and find out!  
**_Lightyearsaway:_** thanks for the review.

* * *

**Chapter 11:**

_"Where is the earth-shattering kaboom?" – Marvin the Martian_

CE 72, January 2nd  
0 Hours Remaining

"NO!" Dearka screamed in anguish as his monitors showed the Apocalypse Gundam firing the nuclear warhead.

He had failed. His home, his father, his friends, everything he had known was about to be destroyed. And by a group of demented Naturals seeking the end of all Coordinators.

The same group who also wanted any Naturals associated with Coordinators dead. Including Miriallia.

The shock of everything hit the blond Coordinator at once. A sharp pain in his chest froze him in place, his hands leaving the controls to clutch his pounding heart. Groaning, he balled his hands into fists, clenching them tightly.

-

Yzak turned as a warning message popped up.

_Apocalypse has fired_ it read. He watched the missile streak towards the detonation point, and there was nothing he could do about it.

_Mother_ he thought painfully. She was a main reason for him to continue on. His mother had always been strong, dependable, just the kind of person he had always wanted to be. Yzak had taken up a Councilor's position to ensure the safety of his people and their homeland.

He had failed. In that instant, he had failed. He wasn't a good enough commander, not a good enough pilot, not a good enough son and Councilor, not a good enough friend. What was the point if everything you knew was about to die at once?

The missile closed in on its destination.

-

Athrun opened his cockpit with the little power remaining in his heavily damaged Gundam. He didn't know which way the PLANTs were and where Cagalli was. Slowly stepping out, he stood on the lower section of the cockpit hatch, attempting to find his bearings.

A bright and large explosion went off. Athrun threw his arms over his face to shield his eyes from the intensity of the light. For a moment, he didn't know what happened. Thoughts flew through his head so fast, he could barely comprehend them.

_Explosion, light, _Chon-Ji Tul_, Gundam, Yzak, Dearka, Kira … PLANT!_ Finally, something made sense to him and he fervently wished it hadn't. The explosion was from the nuclear warhead. The Apocalypse Gundam had broken through the defensive lines and fired his remaining warhead.

Which had just detonated. He was in shock, in less than 20 minutes he had lost his entire homeland and the one person dearest to him, the one he loved with no end, Cagalli. His emotions built up, the pain of losing, the pain of loss, the pain of living without love, the pain of failure.

Finally, it was too much to contain. Throwing his head back, he let out a long, anguished cry of rage.

-

The explosion started to fade, and Hiroto let out a shout of victory, followed quickly by laughter. The laughter grew in strength, becoming so loud it sounded almost like a scream.

Proximity sensors forced Hiroto to tone his laughter down. He looked forward to see what would set them off, but found nothing. Nothing, except for an hour-glass shape. Two hour-glass shapes. Three. A dozen.

_What the hell?_

-

_Just as Athrun left the medical room, Shiho came in. Lacus looked up, wondering why Athrun would have come back. Seeing Shiho entering, she smiled._

_"Hello Shiho." Lacus greeted politely._

_"Come on Lacus, it won't do you any good to be cooped up in here all day looking after Kira. Milly and I are in a lounge room, and we've reserved a couch for us." Shiho replied._

_"But he might wake up soon." Lacus protested as Shiho grabbed her arm to drag her out._

_"The rest of your friends are fighting to save us all, you could at least watch them with us."_

_"Alright then, give me a second. " Lacus conceded, kissing Kira softly on his forehead before leaving the room._

_They passed Otto on the way to the room._

_"Are you going out to fight as well?" Lacus asked._

_"Not today Miss Clyne, I'm merely going to see the pilots off." He said, still moving._

_As they turned a corner, Otto entered the medical room._

_-_

_Cagalli found Athrun just a few minutes after he had left the medical room. They stared at each other for a moment before Cagalli spoke up._

_"Be careful out there, okay?"_

_"I will. But you have to promise to take care of yourself out there as well." Athrun replied._

_"I promise." They came together, hugging each other tightly before Athrun locked lips with Cagalli's._

_-_

_The door slid open with little noise, but Kira still awoke to see Otto enter. He looked around for Lacus, or Athrun, remembering their voices. Perhaps it was only his imagination, or dreams._

_"How are you feeling Kira?" Otto asked, sitting in the chair Lacus had recently vacated._

_"Better, but I'm still not back to normal." Kira replied._

_"You know about the situation correct?" Otto inquired._

_"I do, which leads me to my question: what can I do?" Kira asked._

_Otto smiled._

-

Kira raised his head, staring straight ahead at the Apocalypse Gundam, now visible again. The large explosion had finally subsided, and a quick scan showed all the PLANTs safe and unharmed.

The one shot Kira had fired mere seconds before the warhead was supposed to detonate penetrated the guidance computer and charges, destroying the warhead without setting off the nuclear material.

He opened a general channel, broadcasting to all forces in his considerable broadcast range.

"This is Kira Yamato, Eternal Gundam. Mission complete."

-

_Otto and Kira were moving as fast as they could to the hangar bay. Ron had let Otto know that the rest of the Gundam pilots were occupied, so the two had to move quickly. Otto was explaining the mission on the way._

_"You'll have only a few seconds to lock onto the warhead before its detonation point. Any sooner and I'm sure that the Apocalypse will pick up on the lock and either detonate the warhead earlier or somehow block the shot." Otto was saying._

_Kira nodded and finished doing up his flight suit._

_"You may be waiting for the full twelve hours, depending on how our forces do. Best case scenario, the Apocalypse is stopped and you've sat in space for nothing. Worst case scenario, you die." Otto was blunt, but Kira knew the outcomes already._

_"No matter what happens, you must maintain stealth and secrecy." Otto warned._

_That was harder for Kira to accept. The people going out to fight were his family and friends, comrades in arms, forged in war. But he had a duty to do and a mission to complete._

_"I understand." Kira replied._

_"Then good luck and god speed."_

_The cockpit hatches closed on the Eternal Gundam, and Kira powered up his phase-shift armor. The hangar doors opened and he was cleared to launch._

_"Kira Yamato, Eternal, Ikimasu!" the Eternal shot out of the bay and used the momentum from the catapult launcher to guide him instead of the powerful engines in the Gundam suit._

_"Lacus," he whispered, "be safe."_

-

Athrun floated in his cockpit, out of breath from screaming so long. His life seemed almost pointless, and everything he'd done in the past seemed insignificant. It was amazing how a few words from a good friend could change everything.

"_This is Kira Yamato, Eternal Gundam. Mission complete._"

_Kira?_ Squinting his eyes, he could faintly see the assembled PLANT colonies, still in one piece. Hope flared in his heart, the PLANTs were safe, and perhaps Cagalli had a chance as well. Kira was piloting his suit, which evened out the odds considerably.

Now if only he could find Cagalli and the _Chon-Ji Tul_.

-

Those words spoke by Kira echoed in Dearka's mind. Able to control himself once again, he gunned his engines and targeted the Apocalypse Gundam.

_Kira cleared the path, but I'm going to finish it!_ He sent a silent prayer and thanks to the brunette Coordinator, for saving his home and for giving all those hope to continue.

"I owe you one." He said quietly, speeding towards his target.

-

There was a lull in the fight, as Kuzzey, Untensu and Yzak all attempted to comprehend the significance of Kira's transmission. The PLANTs were safe, so was his mother.

Grinning wildly, Yzak went on the offensive, pushing both opposing Gundams back as they tried to overcome the shock of failing their mission.

-

Cheers echoed throughout the ship as Kira's words faded from the speakers. Otto smiled widely and was doing a little victory dance. Lacus was so happy that Kira was alive and safe that she hugged Otto tightly and happily. He was surprised for a second, but figured that Kira just save the PLANTs, so it was justifiable.

Then Lacus realized she was hugging Otto and not Kira and quickly released him, a flush of embarrassment covering her cheeks.

"Err, sorry about that." She said shyly, backing away as she kept her head low.

"It's alright, I understand." He replied, laughing.

-

"Yamato, you have interfered in my business for the last time! I will kill you!" Hiroto screamed after hearing Kira's transmission.

Foregoing melee combat, which would have been much more preferable, Hiroto armed and raised his powerful beam rifle, aiming at Kira and firing off volleys of fire. Kira managed to dodge some and block some more, but several beams singed his armor as he barely avoided the full impact.

"Oh great, I think he's mad." Kira muttered as more and more shots came his way.

But as suddenly as the deadly barrage had begun, it quickly ended. _Is he out of power?_ Kira wondered. Then he saw the reason why, Dearka had placed himself halfway between Hiroto and Kira, using the I-Field to save his comrade. Bursts of colored light came from Dearka as the blond pilot fired back.

"Your fight is with me now Hiroto, and no one else." Dearka transmitted.

"We'll see about that."

Milly heard Dearka's declaration and looked on in horror as he charged the behemoth Gundam suit. Kira noticed Kali closing in on Dearka and moved to intercept her.

"I beat you once, and I can do it again." He told her.

"I will have your head!" she screamed back, firing her missiles.

_What is it with these people and firing everything they have at once?_ Kira wondered as he went evasive and opened fire on the missiles with his beam rifle and wrist mounted beam guns.

With her missiles destroyed, he drew one of his beam sabers and charged her, beam shield raised to block the fire from her gatling cannon. As he flew by, he thrust his beam saber out and managed to slice off the arm that had the gatling cannon mounted on it. Curving around for another run, he fired his thrusters again, boosting forwards and slicing off the head of the Famine Gundam before she could react.

Unable to see her opponent, she nonetheless activated her wrist-mounted beam saber and started to swing wildly. Kira backed away and sat there for a moment as she continued to swing. Rolling his eyes, he sheathed his saber and armed his rifle. Taking careful aim, he fired off one shot that blew the remaining arm off at the shoulder joint.

"Surrender, you've been disarmed." Kira transmitted.

"You dishonor me with a notion of surrender?" she asked.

"There is no honor lost in a fight you cannot win." He replied.

She didn't reply to him, so moved closer to her near-useless suit. Her cockpit opened, and Kira was sure that she was signaling her defeat. The damaged suit took on a red glow for a second, and Kira quickly realized that she was going to self-destruct, and planning on taking him with her.

He barely raised his shield in time before he was enveloped in a large explosion. Alarms went off as he was buffeted by the energy washing over him. The explosion subsided, revealing scattered debris that formerly made up the Famine Gundam. Kira's shield was melted beyond use, so he ejected it.

Kira performed a quick diagnostic, which came back with more negative results than positive ones. He zoomed in on Yzak fighting Untensu and Kuzzey. The brown-haired Coordinator really had no choice; he had to deal with his friend.

-

A sudden jolt woke Athrun up from his unplanned nap. A transmission crackled through his speakers.

"This is _Chon-Ji Tul_ Rescue and Recovery, standby to come aboard." The male voice said.

"Otto?" Athrun asked, forgetting that he wasn't able to transmit in return.

A life tube extended itself from the shuttle just above Athrun's damaged Gundam, and as soon as it sealed with the open cockpit, Athrun pushed off and flew up the tube to safety and warmth.

The hatch at the end of the tube slid open and he ducked inside, closing it and allowing the room to re-pressurize. The monitor beeped, letting him know there was breathable air. Taking off his helmet, he blew a sigh of relief and opened the inside hatch to thank his rescuers.

Pink hair and a pair of arms greeted him in a hug. There were quiet sobbing noises heard and Athrun looked down to see Lacus hugging him, crying softly.

"Thank you." He told her.

She looked up and smiled. Otto came back from the control room.

"We've just got to perform some preliminary exams to ensure you are healthy and not injured." He said.

"Of course." Athrun agreed.

"Lacus, you can take my place on the bridge." Otto said, leading Athrun to the cramped medical bay aboard the rescue shuttle.

Athrun knew the routine all-too well. He stripped down to his boxers and flopped onto the examination table. Otto placed sensors on his chest and temples to monitor his heart rate and brain-wave activity.

"This will only take a few minutes, just be sure to lie still." Otto said.

Athrun was left in silence, and started to drift off to sleep again. He swore he felt the shuttle stop and heard the hatch open. His suspicions were confirmed as Otto floated Cagalli in.

"Cagalli!" Athrun said, sitting up.

Otto quickly looked at Athrun's test results.

"You're fine so I'll let you take care of her." He said, and then left.

Athrun tore the sensors off of his body and made his way to Cagalli, unconscious but breathing steadily. He stroked the loose strands of her sweat-soaked hair away from her eyes and stared at her for a minute.

"Cagalli." He said softly.

Her eyes fluttered open, and focused on the handsome face of Athrun, framed by his blue hair floating in the zero-g environment. She smiled at the sight.

"Well, that's one of the better ways to wake up." She said.

Athrun laughed, planted a kiss on the tip of her nose and held her close.

-

Untensu's proximity alarm went off as Kira approached in the Eternal Gundam. An evil smile settled itself on his mouth as a devious plan popped into his head.

"Kuzzey! Go deal with your friend. Consider this your final test." He sneered.

Kuzzey narrowed his eyes at Untensu's order, but complied, shutting down his beam sabers and changing his course to meet Kira in the open battlefield. Kira's camera's zoomed in on the approaching War Gundam, and he remembered that Hiroto had said that Mordecai was the pilot. And Mordecai was Kuzzey, in the flesh, and no one else.

"Kuzzey, why did you betray us? I thought we were friends?" Kira demanded, using what little time they had left.

"How can I be friends with something like you? You and yours disgust me!" Kuzzey snarled back.

"None of us chose to be Coordinators when we were born, just as you didn't choose to be Natural." Kira replied attempting to shove some common sense into the person he had once called his friend.

"It doesn't matter how you are born, it's what you do in life that separates everyone, and it's what makes us all unique. But to go actively flaunting it, that's why the war started, and that's why we will end it." The range between the two suits diminished as Kuzzey spoke.

"You realize that Hiroto also demands more than the Coordinators, he also demands Naturals associated with Coordinators!" Kira was astounded at how much Kuzzey had changed over the few months.

"Those Naturals have condoned actions taken by the filthy scum known as Coordinators!" Kuzzey barked back.

"Tolle died to defend you! He died to defend me! Miriallia is on one of those Coordinator ships right now! Tolle died to defend HER!" Kira all but screamed at Kuzzey.

"Enough! Nothing can change the crimes you've committed!" Kuzzey roared, and activated his remaining beam sabers.

Seven was more than Kira could handle with a beam shield, and his was gone. Then he realized that the War Gundam had little to no ranged capabilities beyond the standard CIWS guns.

Arming his beam rifle for what Kira hoped would be the last time; he took aim at the arms and legs of the War Gundam. _Kuzzey, I'm sorry._ Four shots left his beam rifle in rapid succession, the tip moving millimeters to adjust for new range and new targets. The bolts of destructive energy were oblivious to their fate.

Kuzzey was not. All four bolts were deflected in quick succession by the powerful sabers. But they had served their purpose. Not completely concentrating on Kira and the Eternal Gundam, Kuzzey failed to see Kira activate one his beam sabers and hide it behind his back.

The distance between the two Gundams was negligible and Kuzzey poured all of his power into the wrist-mounted beam saber in his right arm, shutting off all of the others and driving the last beam saber straight towards Kira's cockpit.

"This ends here!" Kuzzey said.

_Yes, yes it does old friend._ The hidden beam saber made its way without warning forward. Kuzzey's eyes widened in surprise as the energy blade damaged the arm, cutting deep before quickly changing course and moving towards his own cockpit. Kuzzey's blade started to flicker as power was lost.

Kira's beam saber stabbed through the armor and exited out the other side of the … neck? Just before Kuzzey lost all power to his last weapon, he managed to stab it through Kira's cockpit, although the aim was thrown off. The weapon penetrated the upper section of the cockpit, missing Kira and shutting down before it could go all of the way through.

"Somehow I always knew it would end up like this." Kuzzey said to Kira.

"Kuzzey, there's still hope." Kira replied.

"Not for me. Say goodbye to Miriallia for me."

"Kuzzey!"

There was another violent explosion which propelled the Eternal backwards and knocked Kira around. The blast damaged his sensors and cameras, and the image Kira saw flickered intermittently. The explosion cleared and there was nothing left of Kira's friend.

Blackness started to creep in the corners of his vision. Kira stopped his momentum as he registered that his faceplate was slowly cracking. His consciousness began to waver and he imagined Lacus' voice, telling him to hold on. What felt like two pairs of hands grabbed hold of him, but he couldn't see what was happening, there was red in his eyes.

The red slid off his world like a helmet and the last thing Kira saw was Lacus' face above his, staring down happily.

-

The battlefield had thinned considerably. Kali, Mordecai and Gideon had been killed in action, leaving only the brothers; Untensu and Hiroto Syuu. It was somehow fitting that the last two Horsemen pilots were brothers and also had the largest Gundams, as if everything had lead up to them.

Of the _Chon-Ji Tul's _forces, only Yzak and Dearka were still fighting. Athrun, Cagalli and Kira had been recovered, but their Gundams were near useless to fight the relatively undamaged Horsemen suits.

Dearka and Hiroto seemed to be evenly matched, with their I-Fields and Phase-Shift armor. The former ZAFT pilot was doing a good job of holding the Keshitai leader at bay, not letting the massive Gundam close to melee range.

But neither pilot could keep it up forever, and Yzak prayed that his friend had the will and the means to outlast his opponent. The fight between Yzak and Untensu was totally opposite, with both suits fighting at melee range, beam sabers versus the double beam scythe and no ranged weapons at all.

Yzak was thankful for the XML system, it had allowed the silver-haired pilot to match and counter several astonishing moves Untensu had pulled. They clashed time and time again, and Yzak struggled to think of a way to end it quickly. Nothing came to mind.

_At least PLANT is safe from these maniacal bastards, it won't matter much in the long run if I die, right?_ Yzak thought bitterly.

But there was something unspoken and intangible that wouldn't let the former Duel pilot give up. He didn't know what it was, maybe the sense of belonging, perhaps it was love, or maybe Destiny had other plans.

One would never know, until Fate so chooses to reveal itself.

_"We write our own destiny, we become what we do."_ Otto had told Lacus.

One would never know.

* * *

A/N: That took a while. Some good fics came up on FF, and I quickly did "Lessons", a Destiny One-shot. Please Read and Review (emphasis on Review and Please).

Until next time.


	13. Chapter 12: A Fierce Resistance

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (Phase 11 and 12 were a Christmas special and there will be no episode on New Years Day), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned

* * *

**_Angel of Dreams_**: you're always so quick to review. Which is good. Dearka froze from something he felt (y'know, the thought of losing your homeland and people to a single Natural ….)  
**_King Arthur6687:_** Thanks for the support over the previous chapters, you've helped a lot.  
**_C-town Chica:_** Read on to learn their fates.  
**_Prince Takeru:_** As much as I hate to end a good thing, "all good things must come to an end". But do keep an eye out for my future plans.

* * *

**Chapter 12: A Fierce Resistance**

CE 72, January 2nd

"Status report now!" Ron demanded.

"Nuclear Warhead intercepted, War Gundam destroyed, Famine Gundam destroyed, Conquest Gundam destroyed. Death Gundam and Apocalypse Gundam still operational and in combat with Matrix Gundam and Veritas Gundam. Eternal Gundam, Angel Gundam and Aequitas Gundam all disabled, pilots have been recovered." The officer reported.

_Fortune favors the brave? I don't think so._

-

A status message popped up on Dearka's display, quickly outlining their current standing. While it could have been better, it definitely could have been a lot worse.

"So Kuzzey is dead, along with two more of them. That leaves one for me and one for Yzak." Dearka muttered.

Hiroto wasn't a bad pilot by any means, but Dearka had seen plenty of missed opportunities to close to melee range. It was one thing that the ZAFT Academy had taught him. _Never miss an opportunity, you may not get another._ While Dearka was in possession of the Buster Gundam, he himself had purposely missed those same opportunities, due to the lack of a melee weapon.

Now it was different. The Apocalypse Gundam had a speed that seemed to go with a smaller suit, but it was frightening on his large Gundam. Still, it was obvious that Hiroto had landed his feet in the Apocalypse thanks to his connections with the Blue Comsos. _But his younger brother, Untensu …_

Dearka stole a quick glance to one of his secondary monitors, which had the fight between the Matrix Gundam and the Death Gundam. Both suits were moving at incredible speeds, swiping and slashing at each other with beam blades. It was obvious that even without his older brother; Untensu could have gotten his Gundam through skill alone.

_What would the war have been like if he had the Strike instead of Kira? Yzak is holding his own, but I can't help but wonder how much the XML is helping him out._

Of course, musing in the middle of a battle is a bad thing. Dearka's alarm went off, and he looked up to see the Apocalypse Gundam rushing in headlong, both beam sabers drawn.

"Guess he finally ran out of juice. Oh well." Clearly, Hiroto meant to end this match between them and then go finish Yzak.

Well things don't always work out like you planned. Had their feet been planted on ground, it would have been called sidestepping. In space, Dearka moved sideways, avoiding the charge and the frantic attempt to swipe the dodging Gundam.

Dearka tracked Hiroto as the older pilot swept around to set up for another pass and opened fire with both his railgun and repeating beam rifle. As both weapons fired, his shoulder mounted "Aphelion" beam cannons swung into play, adding more punch against Hiroto's I-Field.

The Asian's eye's widened as his power drained more quickly; attempting to keep up with the demand the I-Field Generator was placing. Growling in rage, Hiroto set up a quick evasive pattern, avoiding most of the shots fired against him.

The Apocalypse Gundam quickly closed the space between himself and the Veritas Gundam. Dearka was motionless as he fired everything he had in a seemingly vain attempt to penetrate either the Phase-Shift armor or the I-Field.

"You think that will stop ME?" Hiroto demanded.

"Not really." Dearka calmly replied.

That response made Hiroto pause for a second. Dearka quickly ejected his Jackhammer railgun and grabbed his Cycler beam rifle in both hands. Hiroto was even more confused, until a meter long beam bayonet ignited from underneath the rifle.

"Oh."

Dearka plunged the blade into the Apocalypse Gundam as the I-Field, which extended several meters past the Gundam itself, passed over him. The Phase-Shift armor did nothing, and Hiroto didn't have time to react and block the attack with his now useless beam sabers.

"This is for Miriallia."

Dearka tore the blade out the side of the gigantic Gundam, and accelerated away as an explosion marked the simultaneous end of the warhead-equipped Gundam, and the leader of the Keshitai.

He sat in space, motionless for a few seconds, trying to comprehend the impact Hiroto's death would have upon Untensu. Most of his findings weren't turning out to be good endings. Sighing, he grabbed his Jackhammer and set a course to help his friend, against the last and possibly most dangerous pilot in history.

Untensu Syuu and the Death Gundam.

-

"Apocalypse Gundam has been neutralized. The odds are in our favor now!" the sensor officer almost yelled out.

Ron whipped his head around to glare at the poor man.

"Victory is never a sure thing. Especially against an enemy who has held out against all odds thus far."

-

_Curious, I feel nothing._ Untensu had just witnessed the death of his older brother and leader of their cause. Yet, there was a feeling of emptiness, a void that simply didn't care. Granted, the siblings weren't exactly loving towards each other, but they didn't hate each other outright either.

Hiroto respected Untensu's skills, and Untensu respected Hiroto. Still, there was that detached feeling. It was something he wasn't quite used to. Untensu was known as a more passionate man, willing to fully give himself to whatever or whoever he believed in. Such as the Keshitai. Or piloting mobile suits.

_I never knew that I might one day grow tired of it all. Feelings or no, his death MUST be avenged. This suit has managed to keep pace with me the entire time, even after fighting Gideon. He, or she, is very good, no doubts there._

"I respect your skills pilot. Perhaps we may end this conflict with a duel, with no interference from the artillery unit." He suggested.

Yzak paused and narrowed his eyes. Just what was he planning? Clearly the man abided by an older code of honor, based more on following your feelings, knowing what is true rather than swearing an oath to a corrupt government.

Dearka opened a private channel to Yzak.

"I don't know what he's planning, but I'm against it. We can finish this with little risk."

Yzak pondered for a moment as Untensu spoke again.

"I will give you two minutes to decide. When you have reached a decision, contact me."

Deep in thought, Yzak weighed his choices. Dearka's argument was valid from nearly all standpoints. Granted, their main objective was complete, the Apocalypse Gundam and the nuclear warhead had been stopped, PLANT was safe. He knew that Athrun and Otto and Ron would agree with Dearka, and under normal circumstances, Yzak would have too.

But there was something about this man that Yzak had underestimated. Something that compelled the enemy pilot to keep on giving everything, regardless of personal cost. Whatever it was, it reminded Yzak of himself during the final days of the last war.

_Honor, such an outdated concept. Who knew that my enemy would be one of the few people to posses it?_

"I accept your challenge. I am Yzak Jule, pilot of the Matrix Gundam, defender of PLANT and peace." He finally replied.

"I am gratefully Yzak Jule. My name is Untensu Syuu, honored pilot of the Death Gundam. As much as my blood burns to see you die, I wish you the best, as one honorable man to another."

The Death Gundam saluted Yzak, who returned the gesture. Both suits advanced to within three meters of each other and extended their beam weapons, Death's double beam scythe and Matrix, having activated only one of his two beam sabers.

"What the hell are you doing Yzak? Let me help you!" Dearka demanded.

"Dearka, I order you to escort the recovery shuttle back to the _Chon-Ji Tul_. You will not interfere." Yzak ordered.

"Yzak, I don't know what you're trying to prove here, but there are other ways, what happened cannot be changed!" Athrun pleaded, jumping into the conversation.

"Shut your trap Zala. My actions are none of your business." Yzak replied harshly.

"If I die, people will mourn, but they will move on. If I don't fight, I will most likely regret this for the rest of my life." Yzak said, in a softer voice.

"That doesn't give you permission to disobey orders Commander Jule." Ron said.

_Wow, this turned into a real party line. I am trying to duel here. Ungrateful bastards._

"I've received no orders concerning duels. Jule out." Yzak silenced the friendly channels.

The tips of the beam weapons met in a brief instant, before each pilot quickly pulled them back and begun their assault. The duel was on.

-

Dearka was cursing the entire way until he rendezvoused with the recovery shuttle.

"This Dearka in the Veritas Gundam, what's your status?" he asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"This is Otto of the Rescue and Recovery craft _CHT-RR 1_. We have recovered Cagalli Yula Athha, Athrun Zala and Kira Yamato. All three are alive and not in critical condition." Otto replied.

"Fine then, lets get back to the _Chon-Ji Tul_." Dearka said, slowing his speed to match the shuttle's velocity and course.

They slowly made their way back to the _Xephon­_-class battlecarrier and both craft received permission to dock. Dearka secured his Gundam and shut it down. Opening the cockpit, he sat in the pilot's chair for a moment, closing his eyes and leaning his head back.

"Damn you Yzak, why do you have to be so stubborn?" he muttered angrily.

Miriallia, who had seen the Veritas Gundam enter through bay two, had made her was to the hangar bay as fast as humanly possible. She saw his Gundam, powered down and resting in its berth with the cockpit open.

Looking around quickly, she didn't spot anyone that looked remotely like him, or any colors even close to his beige and black flight suit. She eyed the open cockpit again, and a recent memory of a wounded Yzak sitting in his own cockpit a few months before.

She remembered his wounds and launched herself towards Dearka's cockpit, praying that he was safe. He was, fortunately, and she floated just outside unnoticed. His helmet was off and floating above him, his arms both extended outwards, obviously from recently punching his view screens in anger or frustration, or both. Eyes squeezed shut, the tan pilot didn't notice Milly float slowly inside until he felt her breath and warmth mere inches from him.

"Miriallia?" he asked, looking up.

She slowly undid the straps and gently pulled him out of the cockpit. His rage more subdued now, he followed her lead as she made her way to the lift. The doors closed and she hit a random button before pulling him in close and kissing him hard on his lips.

Unexpected as the kiss was, Dearka returned it in full force, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her in close. The last time they shared a kiss this passionate was aboard the enemy ship during Kira's rescue.

This one was decidedly better, Dearka decided. Not having to worry about random gunfire was a nice thing. The lift came to a stop at its destined floor and the doors opened. Neither of them cared until someone clearing their throat was heard.

Dearka turned as Milly ducked behind him, peeking her head out to see who it was. Ron was standing there, a bemused expression on his face.

"Sorry, I think I got the wrong place." He said simply, and then turned and floated down the hall, allowing the lift doors to close once again.

"So, what did I do to deserve that?" he asked, facing her.

"You came back to me." She said quietly.

He enfolded her in a hug, not entirely trusting himself to speak after her comment. She returned the hug, and was grateful for the silence, it was comfortable.

Ron finally stepped out onto the hangar floor as Otto led his charges out from the shuttle, where the awaiting medics could perform a more thorough scan of the survivors. Looking up, Otto saw Ron and met up with his captain and friend.

"What's the situation P?" Ron asked.

"You know about the duel, Dearka's pissed off to all hell and back, but everyone is alive for now. Yamato is either sleeping or unconscious, the meds will let us know. Athrun and Cagalli are fine." Otto replied.

"Odd, but I don't remember Lacus signing on as a member of this crew, much less on the R&R team." Ron remarked.

"Well it was either let her come along or she'd find you and beat some sense into you, so I decided to spare you the misfortune of having your ass handed to you by a pacifist female younger than you." Otto smiled.

"Funny P."

"I thought so."

The medics announced that Athrun and Cagalli were fine, although both were recommended rest and no strenuous activities for the next 12 to 24 hours. Kira was sleeping, his previous wounds and the last battle proved to be too much for his system to handle and it shut down, or so to speak.

Lacus took Kira off somewhere private as Athrun put his arm around Cagalli's waist, leading her out of the hangar.

"Could be worse." Ron said.

-

Untensu charged Yzak, his beam scythe swinging in a wild-looking yet-intricate pattern, designed to keep the opponent guessing where the blow would land. Yzak blocked the slash at his legs with ease and forced the scythe upwards, outside of his defense. Using the small opening he provided, Yzak brought his beam saber around to the other side and swung it towards the cockpit of the Death Gundam.

The slow attack was effortlessly blocked and Untensu jabbed the other end of his scythe pole at Yzak, who tapped his thrusters lightly, letting the ineffective attack slide across his shoulder armor. Yzak's right fist struck out, hoping to dislodge Untensu's weapon, but no such luck.

Still holding the scythe with one hand, Untensu blocked the primitive attack with his own fist. Disengaging his beam saber from the beam scythe, Yzak backed up a bit before bursting forwards, an overhead slash coming down upon Untensu.

He sidestepped the attack and swung the scythe in a quick pattern which left the blade portion at the bottom. Untensu swung the scythe up in an attack meant to slice Yzak in half from crotch to head.

Growling, Yzak back-flipped avoiding the attack entirely. His thrusters lit up as he again charged his foe, now trying to slice Untensu across the waist. Caught in an awkward position, the asian pilot managed to block the attack and counter, send Yzak's arm wide and the beam scythe moving in for the kill.

Laughing, Yzak activated his second saber, quickly blocking the attack.

"Done playing yet?" Yzak taunted.

"The warm-up was for your sake." Untensu jested in reply.

Child's play was over, now the fight was truly on. Untensu charged using his scythe to sweep Yzak's two beam sabers out of the way. He quickly turned his attack into a spinning back kick, which connected with Yzak's head and sent him flying backwards.

Using the momentum already provided, Yzak followed up and hit his thrusters, pushing him just outside Untensu's follow-up punch. His scythe was once again back in both hands, spinning above his head before he brought it swinging across, trying to decapitate Yzak.

The silver-haired Coordinator ducked underneath the attack and eliminated most of the little distance between them, jetting upwards and connecting his uppercut with Untensu's jaw.

Untensu's foot came up as he back flipped in the same place, striking Yzak across the chest and stopping his next attack from starting. Narrowing his eyes as Untensu's skills, Yzak attacked again with rapid slashes from his two beam sabers.

The attacks weren't actually meant to inflict much damage if they weren't countered, they were just lightning attacks to get a better opening for a more lethal strike. Untensu was up to the challenge and his scythe flew back and forth blocking the fury of attacks from Yzak.

They were moving as if they were sparring person to person on level ground, not in mobile suits in space. A quick snap-kick from Untensu which missed ended the flurry of attacks for the moment.

_Perhaps my opponent has the advantage with his smaller and faster sabers. My scythe hasn't failed me yet!_

Not letting up, Untensu charged forward, making use of Yzak's unintended retreat. Untensu directed his slashes and slices in one spot more or less, essentially corralling Yzak's beam sabers to defend that one position. As soon as he finished his last slice, Untensu quickly made a back roundhouse, aimed at the beam sabers now off center.

If they were on Earth, the attack would have knocked Yzak off balance and possibly would have sent him dirt-bound. In space, the attack knocked one of his beam sabers right out of his hands and sent him flying sideways.

Recovering, Yzak turned it into a spin and sent his fist flying towards Untensu, hitting with full force on his shoulder, creating a large gap in his defenses. It would take Untensu several precious seconds to bring his scythe back into play where it would be useful, and the dark-haired man didn't have the luxury of time.

Yzak's beam saber closed in far too quickly, so Untensu rolled with the blow, barely avoiding the well-crafted counter. Standing up again, he smiled as the beam saber once again was back in position.

Both pilots charged together, with Yzak managing to hook his beam saber underneath Untensu's curved beam scythe and pull him forward and off balance. Untensu's stumble was stopped with an elbow to the head from Yzak.

Going with the flow again, Untensu's leg snapped out at Yzak, hitting his hip. They both moved sideways and neither got an attack off before Untensu righted himself. As good as they both were; this fight was going nowhere fast.

Feinting a slash from the left, Untensu pulled his attack short, letting Yzak overcompensate with his defensive block. Quickly bringing his scythe inside of Yzak's saber, Untensu batted the beam blade aside and thrust his own weapon forward.

In a risky move, Yzak shut his saber down and grabbed the scythe just below the blade emitter with his free hand, stopping the attack but opening himself up to a whole other world of attacks. Untensu made good on Yzak's blunder and sharply pulled the scythe down before jerking it back up and out of Yzak's grip. Reversing his swing once again, Untensu attacked with a powerful overhead slash that would finish Yzak off.

The XML system once again turned Yzak's world red as he snapped and brought his forearms up to block the scythe a foot below the emitters. The curved blade stopped inches short from Yzak's head, temporarily – in Untensu's opinion – sparing the Coordinator's life.

Not allowing Untensu to go on the offensive again, Yzak brought his knee up and slammed it into Untensu's stomach, forcing him away, if only a little bit. Keeping on his own offensive, Yzak slid one hand around the handle of the beam scythe and pulled it, rotating himself so that his back was facing Untensu.

Unwilling to let go of his last weapon, Untensu held on as Yzak was about to toss him over. It turned out to be a feint and Yzak's elbow smashed into Untensu's chest, forcing him to a sudden stop.

Yzak followed up by facing Untensu and throwing his fist, which crashed into Untensu's face, sending him flying backwards and making him loose his scythe. Activating his beam saber again, Yzak quickly slice the scythe in half, rendering the Untensu's weapon completely useless.

Facing his opponent head on, Yzak brought his saber up to a guard position and paused, which enraged Untensu. _So much for respect then, it's time to end this, one way or another_. Ending it in Untensu's favor would be rather difficult, but he was damned if he was going down without a fight.

Untensu charged one last time, bringing his fists together and raising them above his head, preparing for a powerful hammerblow. As he brought his fists down, Yzak slipped inside, his head smashing into Untensu's chin, the shock stopping his attack cold. In a quick and brutal moment, Yzak stabbed the beam saber right through Untensu's stomach, cutting right through the reactor.

"Our duel comes to an end." Untensu managed to say before his suit exploded.

The large explosion from the large Gundam cleared, and Yzak flashed his eye cameras before shutting down his saber again and putting it back in its place.

"This is Yzak Jule. Death Gundam has been destroyed and mission accomplished." He announced tiredly, re-opening the general broadcast lines.

* * *

A/N: Wow, uh sorry for the massive wait. World of WarCraft coupled with a bad case of writer's block and the holidays do not make for a quick update. So I'd like to apologize. Sorry. Quick note to Angel of Dreams: I didn't even realize that you are the author of Fate in Destiny. I promise I'll review your next chapter! Uh, for now please Read and REVIEW! I hope you all had a good holiday, and enjoy the New Year celebrations.

Serious Note: I assume you've all heard about the massive tidal waves hitting Southern Asia and India, and I would like to send my condolences and prayers out to all of those involved, including my good friend and former manager Jag Patel, whose sister and wife are currently in India.

I pray that your loved ones survive, and that we all have the strength of heart to help out in any way possible.


	14. Epilogue

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (I can't wait for Phase 13!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

**_lightyearsaway:_** We can always hope  
**_C-town Chica:_** Thanks for all of the compliments!  
**_Angel of Dreams:_** More DM? Greedy aren't we? Lol.  
**_RVD:_** well, not everyone has died, but I see your point. Read on!

* * *

**Epilogue**

CE 72, June 15th

**Perosonal Log of Jule, Yzak, Commander  
72 Cosmic Era, 15 June  
Subject: Musings**

It would seem to me that one way to sort thoughts out is to create a list, a "pros and cons" list, to see what you have going for you and what you don't. I, personally, am not a big fan of that system, preferring to simply write all of my thoughts in a confused chaotic jumble that makes sense to few people. It helps the mind set itself straight, moving from on thought to another and linking them all together somehow.

Well now, the only question remaining is where to begin? At the end of the war, or perhaps at the signing of the treaty, or maybe I should just pluck a random thought out from my head and start with that. That sounds good to me.

Athrun.

Definitely one I would have voluntarily chosen, yet after all this time, I respect the man. Of course I would never tell that to his face, or too anyone else. Good thing these logs are encrypted with a Base 17 sequential order system. Oops, did I write that? Good luck finding out what that means.

Athrun Zala.

The son of the late Patrick Zala, former leader of the PLANT and ZAFT during the end of the first war. If the reports are true, Patrick had Siegel Clyne killed in an attempt to consolidate his own power within the council.

Clyne.

Lacus, his peace-loving daughter – and talented singer if I might add – had disappeared. Well, to the general public of Earth and PLANT she's gone, but to some of us she's not. As the current rule of Orb, Cagalli has kept me updated with all sorts of things, things I can slide on to the chairman and his entourage to help keep the peace.

And things that I can use to help cheer up comrades, subordinates and friends. Naturally, Dearka moped around for a while after returning to PLANT. Truth be told, he was happy to be back home, continuing to serve as I did. But not all of him was happy; part of him was sad, sad because of one person.

Miriallia.

Perhaps in the hardest decision of his life, Dearka chose to remain a part of ZAFT and re-join the military. He could have lived a happy life on Earth with her, not sad, but instead immensely happy. There are some things in life that are so deeply woven in with our lives that make it impossible to change. Loyalty is usually the first thing that comes to mind. For us, it was loyalty to our home country, heeding PLANTs call during its darkest hour.

That was why we joined ZAFT in the first place. It's why we remain in ZAFT, despite all that has happened in the past two years. I can still remember that day in my mind, the day we chose to return home. She was there waiting for us, or rather just him, I was along for the ride apparently.

_She was leaning against the side of the shuttle, arms crossed, head down, one leg on the ground, the other bent at the knee, the foot resting on the shuttle's hull. Our footsteps made her look up, and she barely gave me a first glance as she concentrated on Dearka._

_'Lucky bastard' was my thought. I continued to walk towards the shuttle, nodding at her as I passed. We had never spoken much during our short time of knowing each other, and perhaps that was the best thing. Dearka had slowed his walk down, trailing behind me as I boarded the shuttle and took my seat._

_"Why are you leaving?" she asked, her voice trembling._

_"I've sworn an oath to PLANT, and I must uphold it. Believe me, I don't want to leave you, not again, not after all we've done and been through." He replied, setting his bag down on the tarmac as she approached him, closing the distance between them._

_"Then don't leave, resign your commission and stay here, with me." Her slender arms wrapped around his chest, hugging him._

_Dearka couldn't reply right away, her argument was valid, he could easily resign, ZAFT would hate to see him go, but there would nothing they could do to stop it from happening. I almost considered telling him to do it. I could always use another Earth-side informant._

_But he was my friend, and he wished to return to PLANT. As his friend, and his superior I wasn't about to lose his vital skills. He returned her hug and gently kissed her forehead. She broke their hug and grabbed the front of his open jacket with one hand, pulling him down to her height and kissed him._

_I could almost see the emotions flowing back and forth between them. I looked away, studying the inside of the shuttle for a few moments, the seats, the head rests, the walkway, the overhead compartments, anything to pass a bit of time. I considered it rude to watch people share a moment together, and when I looked back, they were just breaking their kiss._

_Long time for a Natural to hold their breath. They were both evidently at a loss for words; she looked at him for a second, maybe just getting her breath back._

_"Never forget me." She said right before running past him and away from him._

_Dearka stared dumbfounded, turning to face her retreating form, then uttered very quiet words. "I love you." She might have heard those three powerful words if she had enhanced Coordinator hearing, but she didn't. But it was probably better right now that she didn't._

_He picked up his bag and boarded the shuttle, the hatch sealing with a hiss. Taking his seat just in time, the shuttle launched. I knew better than to ask, so we sat in silence as we took off, as Dearka flew out of Miriallia's life._

_But hopefully not forever._

Moments like those have the ability to change people forever. While I'm thankful that he didn't go with her, I wonder what the future would be like if he wasn't a pilot once again in my squad.

Oh, I probably would have found a replacement with almost equal skill, but like I told Shiho once, it's always nice to have people around you that can anticipate you; they make you learn about yourself, they make you adapt.

During the war, I never thought that I would fight along side the Strike Gundam. I never thought that I would actually risk my life for someone in a mobile suit that looked like the Strike Gundam. Well hey, shit happens. The one thought that never even crossed my mind, even after the cease-fire, was teaming up and helping the Freedom pilot.

But it happened. And that was a good thing too. Yamato is a strange man, a boy who was forced to fight to save his friends aboard a new warship. He had no previous military training, and it seemed like the Earth Alliance was using him for their plans. I had received reports that the top leaders had erased all records of Kira fighting with the Strike Gundam.

Funny they should do that, he became an "unknown ace" in their eyes. But for all his talents at fighting with mobile suits, his heart was almost shattered by someone he loved. Now it's almost healed again, thanks to his friends, but mainly – or at least I believe this – thanks to Lacus.

She had helped him early on in the war when he rescued her, she helped him again with Athrun almost killed him, she helped him by giving him the Freedom Gundam, which thereby saved the Earth and the PLANTs, and now she continued.

The injuries he had sustained as a prisoner were numerous – sure, he was Coordinator - but they took time to heal. Along with those injuries, he was shaken around quite a bit during his fight with his old friend, and by the time Lacus and Otto got to him, he was out of it.

This reminds me. I'll talk about it later. Right now, Kira is on Earth, hopefully enjoying the peace that he fought so hard for. Cagalli told me a few weeks ago that Lacus had stayed by Kira's side until he woke up. I didn't know that, I had merely assumed that she very frequently visited him as he recovered.

_"Just sit here for a moment, let the tests run their course. I'll be in the back room if you need me." The doctor told me._

_I nodded, and sat on the bed as the computers silently worked their stuff. Lacus was with Kira on the other side of the medical bay and I could hear the soft beeps of the heart-rate monitoring machine._

_Of course, Lacus knew I was here, so I decided to start up a conversation, from one side of the room to hers._

_"He'll be fine Lacus, trust me." I told her._

_I guess she was a bit surprised at my forwardness._

_"Thank you Yzak, I'm sure he'll recover very soon." She replied kindly._

_A thought struck me, like a railgun. "Why don't you sing to him?" I asked._

_Clearly she hadn't thought of that either._

_"S – sing to him?" she asked, stuttering just a bit with surprise._

_"I'm sure he enjoys your songs almost as much as your company and I've heard that it can be helpful, sort of like a guiding light for comatose or unconscious people." I explained._

_"Well, I'll try. You won't mind if I sing?" she asked. How thoughtful, always caring._

_"I don't mind your songs either." I replied with a smile._

_konna ni tsumetai tobari no fukaku de  
anata wa hitori de nemutteru _

inori no utagoe sabishii nohara wo  
chiisa na hikari ga terashiteta

anata no yume wo miteta  
kodomo no youni waratteta  
natsukashiku mada tooku sore wa mirai no yakusoku

itsuka midori no asa ni itsuka tadoritsukeru to  
fuyugareta kono sora wo shinjiteiru kara  
Fields of Hope  
Fields of Hope  
Fields of Hope

umarete kita hi ni dakishimete kureta  
yasashii ano te wo sagashiteru

inori no utagoe hitotsu kiete  
mata hajimaru tayori naku setsunaku tsuzuku

itsuka midori no asa e subete no yoru wo koete  
sore wa tada hitori zutsu mitsukete yuku basho dakara  
ima wa tada kono mune de anata wo atatametai

natsukashiku mada tooi yasuragi no tame ni  
Fields of Hope  
Fields of Hope

natsukashiku mada tooi yakusoku no nohara  
Fields of Hope  
Fields of Hope  
Fields of Hope  
Fields of Hope  
Fields of Hope  
Fields of Hope

_I had never heard of this song before, but I got the feeling it was called "Fields of Hope". It was a very nice song, and it had some effect on Kira. I could hear the monitor start to beep faster as his heart-rate increased._

_"That … was nice." He said quietly._

_"Kira!" Lacus all but yelled._

_I got the feeling he was awake, and the doctor came from the back room to find out why Lacus was yelling. I stopped him before he got past me._

_"He's awake now, she's just really happy."_

_"Good to know." He checked the test results and smiled at me._

_"You have a clean bill of health Commander Jule, you can go."_

_And thank god for that. The doctor went back to the back room and I left through the side door. Right before the door closed I caught a glimpse of another passionate kiss, shared between Kira and Lacus._

Another thing Cagalli had told me was that Kira – despite being happy with Lacus – had settled into a state where he had little energy. Not to sound like a gossiper, but Cagalli said that Lacus told her that Kira would often stay up for days on end, and when he had to sleep, he would sleep for only a few hours at a time. Very odd, but perhaps it is his way of dealing with all of the crap that piled up on him.

I suppose brooding about it is better than running away from it. News has reached me about Cagalli's talented bodyguard – who looks suspiciously like Athrun to me – Alex Dino getting a little angry at one of the Orb council members. If Athrun was a man, he'd 'politely suggest' that Yuna Roma Seiran stop going after his girl.

But he's not. He's hiding from everything, just like Durandal had erased all knowledge of the SF-99 Series. The Veritas and the Matrix were melted down to scrap, much to the dismay of Doctoy Shayd, who questioned me for days about the XML system. What was left of the Eternal, Angel and Aequitas were melted as well.

The _Chon-Ji Tul_ was destroyed, having received orders to self-destruct. Her crew was disbanded and integrated among the rest of the ZAFT. Except for her captain and Otto. Both men were brought up on charges concerning disobeyed orders, and in Otto's case, being a spy.

Since the quick and quiet trial, I have not heard a single whisper about either. It seems that the last Alster is truly dead. I've heard that the remaining prototypes were renamed to the ZGMF-X series.

Gaia, Chaos, Abyss. Impulse. And one that shouldn't be named. I believe this measure was taken due to the Four Horsemen and the Apocalypse. Especially with the dual nuclear warheads that were used against us. Those weapons have always been a source of great fear among the Coordinator society, and I believe that Chairman Durandal wished to eliminate everything to do with the latest attacks.

Thus the SF-99 series is no more. I hope that these other prototypes may discourage further attacks from any enemies, but I fear that they will perhaps be the harbingers of the next war.

If there is a war, then we will fight to protect that which we hold dear to us. Besides, who wants to live forever?

**End of Recording**

"Yzak, the meeting is in five minutes." Dearka's voice came through the intercom.

"I know, just make sure you're ready too." Yzak snapped back, glad he had finished sorting his thoughts in time.

Yzak had no idea why Durandal had summoned the younger soldiers who had fought in the last war, but it surely couldn't be bad. He got up from his chair and made sure his papers were in order, and then went off to find Dearka.

-

It was night time on Earth, or at least in the time zone that had Malchio's orphanage in it. Kira stood on the deck, his elbows resting on the railing as he watched the moon.

There was a little gust of wind every few minutes that played with his shaggy brown hair and the collar of his black long-sleeved shirt. Lacus stood in the glass sliding door behind him, her hand just below her neck as she stared at him worriedly.

She was still in her dress, having not changed into her pajamas just yet. She had wanted to see Kira one last time before falling asleep. Gathering her resolve, she silently opened the door, hoping not to disturb him just yet.

If he heard the door, he gave no signs of showing, but he didn't jump when she stepped up beside him.

"Beautiful moon tonight." She commented.

Kira nodded in response, his eyes still locked on the bright light the full moon was giving off. Lacus didn't know what he was thinking about, so many bad things had happened up in space to him, but there were good things as well.

Since coming back down to Earth, Kira no longer initiated any conversations, and rarely spoke, barely replying to questions directed at him, and even then with the shortest answer possible, the kind that simply kill conversations.

The kids didn't mind Kira's silence; they had announced that he wasn't a good story teller just after the war had ended, and they all preferred Lacus' sweet voice and emotions.

Another gust of wind blew up, not fazing Kira one bit, but messing his hair even more than it was before. Lacus shivered, and started rubbing her arms to put some warmth into them. Kira took notice of this.

"God Lacus, you're freezing." he said, stepping behind her and enfolding her in a hug, gently rubbing her arms to keep her warm.

The cold she had felt just a second ago had disappeared, Kira's warmth flooded into her, making her sigh contently. She looked up at the moon again, marveling at its beauty again.

It was an improvement, she decided. Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to do this more often, say every night. Kira kissed her cheek lightly and looked up at the moon again, his arms still around her, keeping the songstress warm.

And at that moment, it could have been a picture-perfect scene, a moment that a company might use in one of their commercials, a moment to be treasured. Too bad little kids don't think of these things.

"Why is everyone up?" a little boy asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes as his feet dragged along, slowly moving him towards the couple enjoying the moon.

"Ara! What are you doing out of bed? You'll catch your death of cold." Lacus scolded lightly, groaning silently as she was forced to break out of Kira's warm embrace.

She shooed the little boy inside, pausing at the doorway to look back at Kira, who had returned to watching the moon, his elbows once again propped up on the railing.

_Goodnight, my love_ she bade him before closing the door behind her. She yawned, and then made her way to her room, changing into her flannel pajamas before sliding into her bed, alone.

_Goodnight Lacus_ Kira thought as she retired for the night.

-

Emotions. So many emotions. Pain, anger, hate, jealousy, love, they all ran though Athrun over and over again. All of these emotions, all in one little form that was called Athrun Zala. Or to some, Alex Dino. These emotions were spurred on by a little interrupt broadcast that had gone over the air just a few minutes ago.

It was live from the Orb Palace, where Cagalli and the other Representatives of Orb had convened to discuss matters of state, such as Cagalli's rise to the throne of Orb. A public speech from Cagalli and the Reps had been scheduled, but what was transmitted was nothing even remotely close to what Athrun had expected.

_"Good evening honored citizens of Orb! I am Yuna Roma Seiryan, and I have a great announcement that will help strengthen us all."_

_Cameras flashed repeatedly as a man with light blue hair and a ponytail stepped up to the podium. Cagalli was off to the man's left and his father was off to the right._

_"Reconstruction of our great nation is proceeding ahead of schedule, thanks to all of your hard efforts, and with our beloved Head Representative once again home in Orb, things are moving back on track."_

_There was clapping heard from the people assembled before the podium and clapping from the various citizens watching the broadcast from any screen available to then. Athrun was one of the few who didn't clap._

_Yuna waited for the applause to die out on its own, the people certainly deserved a brief moment to shine in the spotlight. Finally, the roar of the noise died down and Yuna looked as if he had a message of great importance._

_"Today will mark a great day in the history of our country. Today marks the first day of my engagement to Cagalli Yula Athha, daughter of Uzumi Nala Athha. An engagement that will unify Orb and allow us to stand tall and free!"_

_There was more applause from the gathered crowds, and several girls near Athrun swooned at the thought of being engaged to Yuna. Athrun shook his head in disgust. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked off._

He knew deep down in his heart that Yuna could never love Cagalli as he did, but publicly announcing an engagement drove him mad. There wasn't a lot he could do about it right now, there was still anti-Coordinator sentiments running around the reconstructed country, and it wouldn't do well to announce that he was once a top ZAFT pilot.

Hence his alias, Alex Dino, a man charged with the protection of the Princess of Orb while she was outside the Parliament Building. Athrun had rarely been inside the building, except to escort Cagalli in a few times while the Palace guards were being trained.

What he was truly afraid of was not Yuna's love – or lack thereof – towards Cagalli, but what time might do to Cagalli if Yuna was constantly with her. Yuna was rich and powerful, and had a lot of influence among the other Representatives, which could spell trouble for Cagalli.

But if she spent too much time with Yuna, she might grow accustomed to his presence, his ideals and his ways of life. Cagalli could rough it out if she had too, he had heard stories from Kira and Kisaka about her exploits in the African deserts, and he had fought along-side her in the last several battles of the first war, and the recent uprising of Blue Cosmos.

Although she wasn't used to being pampered like the royalty she was, it was easy to get used to, especially for a girl. And again, in his heart he knew that Cagalli loved one man, and only one man – Athrun Zala – but his emotions and insecurities buried those rational thoughts deep.

He walked for hours on end, wandering aimlessly as he desperately tried to figure out what to do. Scenarios of him barging into one of their meetings and announcing his love for her ran through his mind.

Clouds gathered unnoticed overhead, and in an instant, it started to rain. People ran about, screaming in fear as they panicked, seeking shelter from the oh-so horrible rain. Hands still jammed in his coat pockets, Athrun walked along the sidewalk, passing by a park.

"Well for my trusted bodyguard, you sure do suck at doing your job." A female voice announced from behind him.

He knew that voice like the back of his hand. Turning around, he saw Cagalli in plain street clothes holding a black umbrella to keep the rain off of her.

"Lady Athha, I apologize." He said formally, bowing.

"Geez, what's with the formal talk?" she asked, walking over to him and shifting the umbrella so they were both covered.

"I heard about your engagement, congratulations."

"Athrun, stop it, this is me you're talking to!" Cagalli said, annoyed at the distance in his voice.

They both stood there in silence as the rain continued to poor down, sliding over the water-resistance umbrella Cagalli still held over their heads.

"I'm sorry." Athrun finally said, sounding more like his old self to Cagalli.

"When I saw the broadcast, something inside me died and something else snapped. Yuna … he looked so smug, so confident when he said those words. I honestly think my heart shattered." He continued, looking deep in her amber eyes.

"It was a surprise to me as well. I thought he was going to outline our latest reconstruction plans for the outlying coastal sectors, but instead he spewed that crap out. And they ate it up like candy. After the little broadcast we were swarmed with reporters asking questions about us and when this came about." Cagalli explained.

"I'm sure he had a great answer." Athrun said sarcastically.

Cagalli narrowed his eyes as she began to comprehend just how much this had messed his head up. He was like a confused little boy, scared and lashing out in fear and anger. Smiling warmly she slid under one of his arms and wrapped her free arm around his waist.

"I'm sure he did, I didn't stay. Kisaka escorted me out and when the other Reps tried to stop me I said I had to have my most trusted bodyguard with me."

Athrun turned his head and looked down at her.

"And now it's just you and me." She said sweetly.

He rotated so that he faced her completely and bent down for a kiss, their umbrella shielding them from the few people still walking around in the rain. Far sooner than Athrun would have like, they broke the kiss when they heard the sound of a car pulling over.

"Alex, Lady Athha, there you are."

They looked up to see Kisaka, a smile on his face as he walked around the car and opened the back doors for them. They smiled at the man's actions and generosity and got into the car. Kisaks shut the door and got in his own seat and drove them away.

-

"Chairman? There is a lady here who says you wish to talk with her." Durandal's secretary announced through the intercom mounted in his desk.

"Send her in please." He replied.

The doors opened, allowing a slim figure to enter. Due to the lighting in the room, she was somewhat cast in shadows that hid her face and upper body.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." He said, standing up and walking around his desk to greet her.

"It's not everyday that a girl like me gets a call from the Chairman of all PLANTs, what was I to do, say no?" she replied, shaking his offered hand.

"Such soft hands if I may say so. I think you'll do just fine."

* * *

A/N: Well, there it is, the final chapter of the Keshitai. Unless you want more of course. I will post a wrap-up section to deal with any questions and to give thanks to those after this, and along with it will be my future plans. Please Read (I think you've gotten this part down by now) and Review! Good, bad, ugly, whatever, I'll take it all.

Until the wrap-up!

Adios!


	15. WrapUp

Gundam SEED: The Keshitai  
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie  
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com

**Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …**

This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (uh …), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as _Battlefield of Pacifists_ and _Ground Zero_ was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine._

Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.

* * *

Well there was such a positive response to doing the wrap-up, so here it is. My question is: what am I supposed to wrap-up? 

Might as well start as I always do, list the reviews!

**Wrap-Up of … stuff**

**_Angel of Dreams:_** Well we can only see what Destiny has in store for us concerning DxM, but I hope it's something good.  
**_Mizue-chan:_** YxS? I'll try my best.  
**_redeye84:_** another one for YxS  
**_King Arthur6687:_** More detail eh? I had planned for this to go on, but I ran out of ideas that pertain to this specific fic. Maybe my next one …

* * *

Cosmic Era 72.

The year and a half long war between Earth and PLANT was finally concluded at the battle of Jachin Due.

The treaty they eventually agreed upon, based on the mutual agreement reached at Junius 7, the former place of tragedy, was to reach a common understanding and an oath of peace.

The world was once again on the path towards regaining stability.

roll Destiny Phase 01: Angry Eyes

* * *

Thanks go out to: 

Angel of Dreams: for being there every step of the way  
King Arthur6687, Prince Takeru: for helping with those stupid little errors that I hate so much  
RVD: for those cool reviews (I love your style, and Hearts of Providence isn't that bad either!)  
ZetaGundam: uh …. Being a fellow GameFAQs user?  
All the rest of the reviewers (C-town Chica, cherri-chan, Chibi Fyrefly and redeye84 come to mind immediately)  
Planetside (the MMOFPS by SOE): for designing cool armor and weapons  
FIA: for putting up with my bitching about writer's block  
yuugiri, Ramza Lionheart and nifer-inc: for really awesome stories that I just can't get enough of  
techterry: for .torrents of Destiny OST 1 and SEED OST 4  
to all those who sub  
seed-forum: helping with minor info  
GameFAQs: helping with other minor info  
Special Note: Ramza, if you are reading this, do not leave!

* * *

Inspirations:

Otto: based off me (my in-game name from PlanetSide and one of my alts in World of WarCraft)  
Ron: based off my friend and co-worker Ronald Mycholuk (real lady-killer too!)  
SEED OST 1-4 (especially 3, rocking music)

* * *

Planned Fictions:

-Gundam SEED Phase Zero  
Summary: Events before the series began that defined their lives  
Genre(s): Romance/Action Adventure  
Rating: PG-13  
Chapters planned: 9-12, one for each character  
Current Status: Chapter 1: 30 complete

-When World's Collide (tentative title)  
Summary: In a simpler time, war still exists. Follow Kira and his rebellion as they fight for freedom and their very existence. Ideas based off several other animes (inspired by Big Brother Kira's story about Sir Kira and Princess Lacus from yuugiri's "The Insatiable Heart")  
Genre(s): Romance/Fantasy  
Rating: PG-13 to R  
Chapters planned: 10  
Current Status: Chapter 1: 15 complete

-Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: New Beginnings (tentative title)  
Summary: Featuring different Character pairings, AU. The War between ZAFT and the EA continues and Heliopolis is dragged into the war unwillingly. Who ends up with who? (inspired by Hildebrant's "Back to you" and "Begin Anew" fics)  
Genre(s): Romance/General  
Rating: PG-13  
Chapters planned: 10  
Current Status: Chapter 1: 20 complete

-Gundam SEED: Omega (tentative title)  
Summary: AU (not going to follow Destiny unless it helps the story). 10 years after the First War, new and old faces alike fight for mankind once again  
Genre(s): Action/Adventure/Romance  
Rating: PG-13  
Chapters planned: 10  
Current Status: Chapter 1: 10 (being revised)

-Star Wars Clone Wars: CT914  
Summary: Jos Vondar, Republic Medical Surgeon, receives the few personal belongings of Clone Trooper 914, including a diary. What runs through the mind of a clone trooper?  
Genre(s): Sci-fi/Action/Adventure  
Rating: PG-13  
Chapters planned: 3-4  
Current Status: incomplete

-The World of WarCraft: The Fratres in Arma  
Summary: Follow along with the adventures of the FIA, a group forged in unrelenting war. Original characters based off real people from the real FIA.  
Genre(s): Fantasy/Action/Adventure  
Rating: PG-13 to R  
Chapters planned: Many  
Current Status: incomplete


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